Dahlia

1. #1Etherconstant

   Keys: Ether, Magic, Energy

   Ether is the building block of all life. Ether's most commonly seen form is in rivers of liquid ether, which glow bright green and flow in rivers and lakes beneath the surface of Titans in a manner similar to blood. In its liquid state, ether is extremely dangerous, rapidly burning or corroding anything that falls into it. liquid ether is compressed into Ether Cylinders and used as a fuel source to power machines. Ether is used for various different purposes, from powering large machines, to forging Gems, to simply powering light sources. Ether is also present in air particles, which can be manipulated by various weapons and tools.

2. #2Bionisconstant

   Keys: World, Titan, Ground

   A great titan, the size of a continent. One of two titans that make up this world. It is home to Homs, Nopon, High Entia and many other species, whom all live on its lifeless body. Long ago, the Bionis fought a vicious battle against its mechanical counterpart, Mechonis, chopping off its left arm in the process, before both titans would gravely wound one another and enter a dormant state.

3. #3Mechonisconstant

   Keys: Ground, Titan, World

   The Mechonis is a massive mechanical titan, the size of a continent. inhabited by both the Mechon and Machina, who both live on its lifeless body. It lost its left arm in a battle with the Bionis, which fell into the Great Sea and became the Fallen Arm. The titans are connected by the Mechonis' sword which was stuck in the Bionis creating Sword Valley where Mechon and Homs often fought. Long ago, the Mechonis fought a vicious battle against its lifelike and organic counterpart, Bionis, chopping off its left arm in the process, before both titans would gravely wound one another and enter a dormant state.

4. #4The Monadoselective

   Keys: Monado, Mythical Sword

   The Monado is a mythical weapon capable of manipulating the very Ether around it. It appears as a red object of unknown composition that vaguely resembles a single-edged sword. It has veins of blue light running along several edges, including the edge of a large circular hole near the pommel. This large hole contains a piece of invisible multi-layered glass, with each layer able to display a single glowing symbol.

   When activated, the Monado's shell above the hole slides open into two pieces to reveal a glowing blade of blue energy. This energy easily cuts though most metals, including Mechon bodies, which cannot otherwise be damaged by weapons less than artillery. It is also capable of donating some of this energy to allies' weapons, allowing them the same Mechon-destroying powers. However, it cannot harm Homs, or other forms of life from Bionis. And it cannot harm Faced Mechon. and simply bounces off them harmlessly.

   The Monado seems to have a will of its own. Most people cannot control it, and simply picking it up without care sends them into a frenzy likely to damage all sorts of property nearby. This continues until the Monado is forcibly knocked out of their grasp. A select few can control it well enough to use as a weapon, though doing so takes a toll on their body. Only a single "heir" can use it without trouble.

   It is said that the Monado was once used by the Bionis in its legendary duel against the Mechonis. As the Homs-sized sword would be extremely tiny in the titan's hand, it is assumed that it must host a hidden power.

5. #5Homsconstant

   Keys: Human, Homs

   Homs are almost identical to humans in every way. They mature at the same rate, and live up to eighty years on average. The most notable difference to most other types of human is that Homs exhibit a strong dependence on ether, though it's unclear whether this is a property of all life of Bionis, or of Homs in particular.

   Homs are a hardy and resilient folk, relying a lot on adapting technology left behind by scrapped Mechon and High Entia ruins. The centuries-long war with the Mechon has severely reduced their numbers, and only two of their colonies remain on the lower Bionis. Most Homs are readily friendly with other races, easily adapting to Nopon, High Entia, and even Machina peoples. Aside from a vague worshipping of the Bionis, Homs culture seems very similar to human culture - marriage, nuclear family, agriculture, military, creative expression, culinary arts - though they lack many amenities and conveniences that the humans of old Earth possessed, with a technology level somewhere between radio and television. They seem far more committed to communal survival, likely because they live under threat of Mechon invasion.

   Homs and High Entia are biologically compatible, producing "half-blooded High Entia" offspring, though High Entia genes appear to be dominant to the point where they can appear to have no Homs traits.

6. #6High Entiaconstant

   Keys: High Entia, Bird People, Winged People,

   A sophisticated species whom live on the upper Bionis. They are a civilization with highly advanced technology. High Entia look just like humans and Homs aside from a few key differences. Most obviously, they have a pair of white-feathered birdlike wings on their heads. They also have elf-like pointed ears, and their hair is always a silvery grey, though it can range in brightness. Of the High Entia seen, they tend to wear silvery clothing with an accent colour, with some parts surrounded by feather-shaped translucent decorations.

   Many High Entia have partial Homs ancestry. These individuals may be indistinguishable from pure-blooded High Entia, but often they have comparatively smaller wings and Homs traits such as rounded ears. They also have a dark ring through their iris, though as characters do not seem to be able to determine whether a person is half-blooded from this alone, it must not be an exclusive trait.

   High Entia age much slower than Homs or Nopon; they appear to reach school age before 30, reach adulthood somewhere between 75-85, and can live beyond 300. One human year is somewhere between five or six High Entia years. As a result, individuals with Homs parentage tend to outlive that parent while still children.

   While High Entia have wings, only very few of them can use them to fly. It is unclear whether this is a genetic or a trained ability, or what its limitations are.

7. #7Noponconstant

   Keys: Nopon, Furballs

   Nopon are short, plump, and fuzzy creatures, having pear-shaped bodies with no neck. They have short and thin arms and legs with two digits each. Attached to the back of their necks is a pair of long and flat appendages they call "wings" that end in four digits (three "fingers" and a "thumb"), and naturally sit wrapped around the base of the head. Nopon have large eyes that are mostly if not only pupils, no visible nose or ears, deep-coloured cheeks, and usually a tuft of hair sticking straight up out of the middle of their head. Mustaches, sideburns, and beards are available options. While Nopon are sometimes described as having "feathers", the fuzz on their bodies looks much more like fur.

   Nopon come in a variery of colours, including brown, pink, orange, tan, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. They are usually half the height of a human, though some can grow to equal a human. Nopon appear to grow and age at about the same rate as humans. Many Nopon wear clothing, but just as many do not.

   It is said that Nopon, despite having wings, cannot fly. However, several Nopon are shown able to hover in place and attempt to fall slower, so perhaps to them the ability to "fly" implies a greater level of skill or control that they cannot achieve. In general, they treat their wings as their arms, barely using their "actual" arms for anything, and saying things such as "wings full" and "twisting my wing" instead of "hands full" or "twisting my arm".

   Nopon often act as merchants, travelling the world to sell their wares and pass information between the various settlements. As a result, Nopon often appear in locations without a stable population.

   they prefer to speak in a childish variant of the common language. Generally, they refer to themselves in the third person, use cutesy euphemisms, call people "friends" whether they be real friends or total strangers, say "meh" as a common interjection, and use "pon" as a suffix on relation nouns (e.g. "sisterpon" and "masterpon"). They also have their own words for some things, such as calling High Entia "Bird People" or Telethia "Dinobeasts". Nopon who live amongst other races for a long time may lose these quirks and speak more normally.

   Nopon names tend to use short syllables and repeated sounds

8. #8Mechonconstant

   Keys: Machines, Robots, Mechon

   Machine, robot-like creatures, who are also the main enemies of the Homs. They’re more skin to monsters than anything else. Mechon come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most are composed of a shell with dark blue armour and gold trims, though some are green or reddish-brown. They bear many spiked implements, circular working parts, and glowing red sensor-lights, with a few having structures resembling eyes.

9. #9Machinaconstant

   Keys: Machina, Machine People

   They are the inhabitants of the Mechonis, created by its soul, Meyneth. Machina are a mechanical species, contrasting the organic life found on Bionis. It is difficult to distinguish what parts of a Machina are "body" and what parts are "clothing", but they appear to be similar to Homs with light grey skin wearing metallic dark grey clothes with an accent colour and many protrusions. A minority of Machina have a more alien faceplate rather than a Homs-like face, and some others are shown to have grey hair, though again it is unclear whether these differences are from simply wearing hats and helmets. Machina have a wide range of eye colours and tend to be a bit taller than Homs. Children have the appearance of a normal, white-haired Homs sealed in a floating mechanical capsule with a transparent front plate and no appendages.

   Machina grow and age extremely slowly; a child can be over a thousand years old, and many Machina are old enough to have seen the battle between the titans. They do not eat (though they can if desired), requiring only water and ether for sustenance, and have no sense of taste. They fear water due to their weight and mechanical nature. Like the Mechon, they are difficult to harm with man-portable weaponry, aside from the Monado or specifically anti-Mechon weapons.

   As a result of escaping the battle between the titans, most of the remaining Machina are pacifists. However, their lack of skill at fighting makes them vulnerable. They hold no ill will towards the races of Bionis, but cannot find a way to introduce themselves as potential allies due to the continual attacks by the Mechon.

10. #10Faced Mechonconstant

    Keys: Faced Mechon, Face, Faces, Faced Machine,

    Faced are advanced, stronger versions of Mechon. Face Mechon are so named because they are the only Mechon to have defined faces instead of the typical red sensor-lights. They have significantly more humanoid shapes than other Mechon as well. Unlike standard Mechon, they have individual personalities and a sense of self, and with the exception of Mass-Produced Faces, are capable of speech. All Face Mechon have the ability to transform into a flight mode for transportation.

    Face Mechon possess an immunity to the power of the Monado, and are completely unharmed by its attacks. Face Mechon are actually mechanical suits, controlled by Homs pilots who have been modified with Machina technology. Face Mechon gain their immunity to the Monado by pumping the pilot's blood through its structure (visible as red glowing lines all over their body), causing the Monado to recognize them as beings of Bionis and refuse to harm them. Pilots are capable of controlling the Face Mechon while outside of it, allowing both to fight together. However, pilots have been modified to such an extent that they cannot survive outside of their Face Mechon for long periods of time, as several of their internal organs have been removed and their immune system has been modified for compatibility with the Mechon.

11. #11Main Party Members (XC1)constant

    Keys: Shulk, Melia, Reyn, Sharla, Riki, Fiora, Dunban

    Shulk – A young, intelligent scientist from Colony 9 who wields the Monado, a legendary sword that grants him visions of the future. Initially seeking revenge against the Mechon for destroying his home, he gradually learns the truth about the world and rejects the control of the god-like Zanza. Shulk ultimately reshapes reality, creating a world free from divine intervention. A young man with short, messy blond hair and blue eyes. He wears a red and black combat outfit with metal accents and wields the Monado, a glowing blue sword. His slim but athletic build reflects his agility in battle.

    Reyn – Shulk’s childhood friend and a dedicated soldier in the Colony 9 Defense Force. Brash, loyal, and always looking out for his friends, Reyn serves as the group’s tank and a source of comic relief. His unwavering support keeps the team together. A tall, muscular man with short, spiky brown hair and a confident smirk. He wears heavy armor with a mix of blue and orange colors, designed for defense. His imposing stature and broad frame make him the team's tank.

    Fiora – Shulk’s closest friend and implied love interest. She is seemingly killed early in the story but later returns as a Mechon-enhanced warrior known as Meyneth’s Vessel. She regains control over herself and fights alongside Shulk to free the world from Zanza’s influence. A petite young woman with short silver hair and brown eyes. She initially wears light armor, but after becoming Meyneth’s Vessel, she gains a mechanical body with sleek silver plating and glowing blue energy lines.

    Dunban – A former soldier who once wielded the Monado but suffered permanent injuries from its power. Despite this, he remains a skilled warrior and acts as a mentor figure to Shulk. His strong sense of justice and experience make him a valuable leader in battle. A lean but well-built man with long black hair and a serious expression. He wears a sleeveless black coat with intricate red and gold designs, favoring light armor due to an old injury. His refined appearance matches his noble and disciplined nature.

    Sharla – A medic and sniper from Colony 6 who joins the group to find her missing fiancé. While compassionate and motherly, she is also a fierce fighter. She later learns that her fiancé was turned into a Faced Mechon and forced to fight against them. A tall woman with long dark brown hair tied into a ponytail and deep blue eyes. She wears a blue and white bodysuit with brown armor plating and carries a large Ether rifle on her back. Her athletic build reflects her role as a battlefield medic.

    Melia – The crown princess of the High Entia, a race with a connection to the Bionis. Initially reserved and burdened by duty, she grows into a strong and capable leader. Though she harbors feelings for Shulk, she ultimately puts the needs of her people before her personal desires. A young High Entia woman with long, light-blue hair and feathered wings protruding from her head, a trait of her royal lineage. She wears ornate white and purple robes with silver accents, giving her an elegant, regal presence.

    Riki – A Nopon hero (or rather, a debt-ridden father forced into the role) who fights using trickery and status effects. Despite his childish demeanor, he offers wise and heartfelt advice, making him an emotional support for the group. A small, round Nopon covered in fluffy orange and yellow fur. He has large, beady eyes, a small mouth, and large ears that resemble wings. He wears a simple vest and carries a wooden staff, complementing his mischievous but endearing personality.

12. #12Blades and Drivers

    Blades are a race of beings resonated from Core Crystals, usually born from Titans. Blades, on awakening, wield a weapon and an element of Ether (Fire, Water, Wind, Ice, Earth, Electric, Light and Dark). This Ether is drawn from the atmosphere around the Blade, giving them power. Blades are technically immortal, being able to recover from any injury, but can't heal if their Core Crystal is fractured and return to their Core Crystal when the Driver who resonates with them dies, losing their memories for another awakening. The people who awaken Blades are Drivers, wielding the weapons and elements of the Blades for their needs and wants. Strong affinity between Blade and Driver boosts both capabilities. Only those who are worthy may resonate with a Core Crystal. If they are not worthy and try to bond with a Blade, they will be injured or knocked out. In worse cases, they can die. Artificial Blades have been created to make those unworthy capable of wielding a Blade.

13. #13Alrest

    A great sea of clouds, surrounding a World Tree that reaches far beyond the skies, where the Architect, the god of this world, is said to wait. Titans, continent sized beings, host their own distinct civilisations, cultures, wildlife, and environments while circling the World Tree. Ether, a substance that Blades draw on for power, is found everywhere in Alrest, from the soil, to the water to the atmosphere, due to the Titans having a bloodstream of Ether. In recent years, these Titans have been dying, sinking in the Cloud Sea, creating fear over the future as habitable land becomes scarce. However small Titans are still being used as Titan ships, flying from main Titans. Salvage from the Cloud Sea is a lucrative business in bringing up to the surface for technological development and archaeological history. Mor Ardain Titan has the most advanced Titan ships, with cables and control centres repurposed from salvage used to direct the nervous system of small flying Titans.

14. #14The Argentum Tradeguild and Argentum Titans

    Nopon are small, round, egg-shaped creatures covered with fur and feathers. They sport small faces and have a pair of stubby arms and stubby legs, as well as a pair of prehensile wing-like ears, which are stated to allow them to slightly glide. They come in a variery of colours, including brown, pink, orange, tan, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. They are usually half the height of a human, though some can grow to equal a human.

    The single most important character in Alrestian Nopon history was the pirate, Captain Nopopon. In his prime, it is said that he sailed all of the Cloud Sea, discovering several titans. He perfectly embodied the nopon spirit: shrewdness, keenness for profit and fame, never-ending thirst for treasure.

    He chose to discard the erudite, well structured language that Nopon talked at the time, manufacturing a cutesy, broken dialect (meh-meh!) to purposely take advantage of non-Nopon people, that found Nopon cuteness endearing. Taking advantage of this perceived weakness, he managed to strike various beneficial dealings, which eventually led him to creating the first Nopon Trade Guild.

    This successful tactic caught on among all Nopon merchants, and since it was so widespread across generations, all of Noponkind soon grew to consider it normal, official Nopon speech, with the origins behind the dialect becoming lost to time. Generally, they refer to themselves in the third person, use cutesy euphemisms, call people "friends" whether they be real friends or total strangers, say "meh" as a common interjection, and use "pon" as a suffix on relation nouns (e.g. "sisterpon" and "masterpon").

    One of Nopopon's descendants was fortunate enough to become a Driver. It was one of the rare times in history where a Nopon had enough potential to bond with a Blade. Using the power of his Blade, he went to war torn regions and took advantage of the chaos to acquire profitable deals. This Nopon would then become the founder of the Argentum Trade Guild, one of eleven Nopon trade guilds in Alrest. It would find itself the most successful of these after striking a deal with Indol and a Tornan Prince (Addam) in order to act as a middleman for Indol to fund the militia created to counter the rogue Aegis, Malos. The idea was to use a Nopon guild to complete the transaction discreetly without inciting further political tensions with other nations. Argentum profited greatly from this deal, fostering a good working relationship with the highly influential Indol and getting a whole bunch of cash at the same time. Meanwhile, the original top dog, Pyrithium, fell into decline after awful business decisions, which lead to it becoming the least prominent of the Nopon trade guilds. Voltis could give some competition to Argentum, however its leaders are too busy funding vacations trips around Alrest (initiations called Walky-Walky) under the guise of self-improvement. As such, Argentum is mostly unrivaled under the management of Chairman Bana.

    The trade guild is a large ship carried among the Argentum Titans, smaller than most other Titans and unable to bear much wildlife, but still strong enough to carry heavy loads. The largest of these, Goldmouth, resembles a flying whale, and carries the founding ship of the Argentum Trade Guild under Nopon direction.

15. #15Gormott and the Gormotti

    Gormott is a large giraffe-like Titan which is notably fertile, hosting lush plains and forests, with accessible areas affected by the movements of the Cloud Sea.

    The native people of Gormott, the Gormotti, a humanoid species with feline characteristics, the most notable being their cat-like ears, were one with nature and mostly kept to themselves. They grouped together in culturally distinct tribes or clans, each ruled by a family under the command of a Chief. They speak with a Welsh accent.

    The resource rich lands of Gormott attracted the interest of many foreign powers and mercenaries, which proved to be dangerous for the lifestyle of the peaceful Gormotti.

    And so, the seven Chiefs of the seven most influential clans came together and founded the White Chair, a city boasting a fortress that many considered impenetrable. The White Chair became the political and military center of Gormott. A form of government was created where the chiefs of each clan would come together to make decisions in cooperation, under the guidance of a High Chief. The city maintained its own army, with esteemed warriors from the diferent clans rising to positions of Knighthood.

    During the era of the Aegis War, the fall of Coeia made the lingering Coeian forces stationed in Gormott go awry. Left without orders and supplies, they began raiding Gormotti villages and sowing chaos.

    Mor Ardain intervened to pacify the Coeian remnants, and the White Chair sought to use the opportunity to develop a better relationship with Mor Ardain and Torna, in order to secure Gormott's geopolitical position in Alrest.

    After the conclusion of the Aegis War 500 years ago, with the fall of Torna and the death of Emperor Hugo, the relationship between Mor Ardain and Gormott would slowly deteriorate over the upcoming centuries, as the Ardainian titan became increasingly more inhospitable, and the resources of Gormott proved too valuable to ignore.

    Roughly 50 years ago, Mor Ardain launches a full scale invasion on Gormott. The White Chair was annihilated, razed to the ground without a trace, forcing Gormott to surrender their sovereignty to the Ardainian Empire.

    Gormott is annexed, becoming a province. The Gormotti army was disbanded, however the tribes were allowed to maintain their own smaller individual defense corps. Mor Ardain vowed to not interfere with Gormotti customs and culture, in exchange for complete control over the politics of the region. In place of the White Chair, the main settlement is the town of Torigoth. On the borders of this new capital, lies Cordell Village.

    A decade ago, Mor Ardain and Uraya fought a territorial war over Gormott, dubbed the Gormotti War. The war ends with a ceasefire between the two powers. Many war refugees from the conflict end up in Indol, where they are allowed to stay indefinitely due to Praetor Amalthus' decree.

    During the upheaval of the Gormotti War, the Lord of Echell ended up having his title and position removed by the people of his city, after it was found out that he was hijacking tax money to chase after a cure for his sickly daughter. The Lord and his two daughters were driven out and became homeless drifters. Their mansion was demolished later on.

    In the modern day, the Gormotti generally enjoy the technology Mor Ardain has brought, and are often recruited for the Mor Ardain army if they resonate with a Core Crystal, giving good pay and opportunities for the families. However, there are still tense relations between Gormottis and Ardanians, due to the imperial takeover.

16. #16Uraya and the Urayans

    Uraya is a whale-like Titan, ruled by the Kingdom of Uraya, whose territory is contained within the vast cave spreading through the Titan's body. The caves are lit during the day by a faint sunlight filtering through the translucent membranes on its back, and at night by bioluminescent plants, the Saffronias, emitting pink and orange light, creating a beautiful shimmery scenery.

    Urayans are a race of humans with pointed ears, darker complexions on average, and what appear to be scales on their cheeks. Many of them have hair in shades of teal and speak in an Australian accent. Urayans are usually a friendly but strong race, with a hostility to Mor Ardain, who they contest against over land in the dying world, to the near brink of war.

    Captain Nopopon, a Nopon that supposedly conquered the entire Cloud Sea in his prime, once created a settlement around Garfont, back when the area was still largely covered by a huge lake. At that time, Uraya was still a fairly unexplored region.

    It is unknown who the founders of Uraya were, but their lineage eventually split over the passing decades, with their descendants forming nine noble houses that completely ruled over the region. Among these nine, two houses in particular held incredible power and influence, the Duchy of Envia and the Duchy of Selosia.

    During a period later known as the War of Succession, all nine houses fought for power over one another, in hopes of unifying all of Uraya under their own banner.

    The leader of Envia, Hannes, died suddenly of mysterious circumstances. His two heirs, Giani and Philip, took claim to his position, but were also soon found dead by a mysterious illness. Envia was incapable of finding another legitimate heir in the midst of this tragedy, and so the house came to an end alongside their dynasty.

    Envia's fate was followed by two of the other smaller houses, unable to stand up to Selosia now that its main rival had been crushed. The six remaining houses united under Selosia, giving rise to the Kingdom of Uraya. The leader of Selosia became the undisputed king of the region.

    To celebrate the kingdom's founding, six precious rings were created - the Jeweled Signets - that represented the right of rule of each of the leaders of the six houses. When combined they form a single crest that is the national symbol of Uraya. To Uraya these are national treasures equivalent to the Crown Jewels of Mor Ardain, passed down the family lines from heir to heir.

    Needless to say, foul play was suspected regarding the fate of Envia. It wouldn't be a stretch to imagine that it was Selosia that set forward the covert assassination of the leaders of Envia, given how it was the one with the most to gain from the tragedy. However that might not be where the story ends, as there were rumors that Hannes had an affair with a Gormotti woman before dying, meaning that there might still exist some form of bastard lineage of Envia hiding somewhere in Gormott. Regardless, the house of Selosia continues to maintain its superiority as late as the year 4058, with Queen Raqura's rule from capital city, Fonsa Myma.

    Urayan military armour and weapons are made of a kind of hardened coral, specifically excrement from the Urayan titan. The embodiment of their closeness to Uraya. Unlike the Ardainians, Urayans are completely dependent on their titan's biology in order to survive, given that they live within its stomach and are at the mercy of its Cloud Sea diving cycles. This has also driven them to specialise in developing biotechnology.

    Urayan nobility seems to keep its military at arms length and heavily relies in external contracts with mercenaries in order to defend the nation. This could be out of a desire to prevent a militant uprising in the face of the sacrifices that the nation had to enact in the war effort against Mor Ardain over territory, however this policy turned Uraya into the perfect breeding ground for merc groups such as Garfont, which seemingly don't exist anywhere else in the world and ended up having a pretty positive influence on Alrest.

17. #17Mor Ardain and the Ardanians

    Mor Ardain is one of the oldest Titans alive in Alrest. Possibly even older than Indol, Uraya and the other major powers that still exist. This Titan is a giant, metallic humanoid. The left arm below Alba Cavanich, capital of the Empire of Mor Ardain, is a mere stump. Since it is walking through the Cloud Sea, it is affected by its tides. Mor Ardain houses an extremely hot climate resulting in desolate landscapes. As the Titan nears its death from old age, not helped by the intervention of Ardainian technology over-exerting the titan's energy resources, its temperature has been rising consistently, making agriculture and food production increasingly difficult, although geothermal technology is more effective. This was the catalyst for the Empire's conquest of what is now Gormott Province whose titan, though also already past its prime, is still relatively far more fertile.

    Ardainians are human-like people, the most regular looking to an actual human in Alrest. They speak in Scottish accents, and their military tends

    The first emperor of Mor Ardain was a man called Ephem. He journeyed the far reaching ancient lands, cementing himself a wide legacy. One day he met someone called Carraig, with whom he formed a strong partnership. The identity of Carraig was lost to time, as people are unsure of his/her gender and race, or even if they were a Driver, Blade or Titan. Together they conquered the Mor Ardainian titan and founded the nation.

    Ephem's son would later continue on his father's footsteps and proceed to conquer a bunch of nearby nations, turning Mor Ardain into an empire that would continue for many centuries to come, giving rise to the imperial bloodline that would eventually produce the Ardanach and Ladair imperial family.

    It is possible that Carraig was the very first Special Inquisitor, or in the very least the precursor that inspired the creation of the role. The Mor Ardainian military is divided into different ranks. The lowly garrison rank and file are separated into different regiments depending on the region in which they operate, such as the Gormotti regiment, or the one from the capital. Soldiers and Sergeants are foot units using steam rifles as their primary weapons, grenades for an extra punch, and Ether Nets to restrain Blades, who's ability to draw Ether from the atmosphere gets interrupted by the nets, making them powerless. Soldiers have round helmets, while Sergeants generally have taller helmets. These answer to Grand Marshals, such as Robalt. Reigning over these we have the First Imperial Guard that defends the imperial palace. The highest rank of the military is called the Carraig Special Guard Unit, which are second only to the Special Inquisitor themselves, from whom they follow direct orders.

    The Imperial military also frequently uses Rotts as attack dogs, Cetus Titans for aerial assaults, terrestrial Archelon Titans as defence mechanism units, and bipedal Ballistaur Titans as assault artillery units.

    During the Aegis War, the Empire was rising, under Emperor Hugo Ardanach, entering an armed conflict against Coeia and its capital, Omrantha. They formed a military alliance with the Indoline Praetorium, and as a result, attracted widespread suspicion following the destruction of Coeia. Emperor Hugo soon died after, protecting the Hero Adamm as the Titan, Torna, was destroyed by the Aegis.

    The Empire of Mor Ardain controls small Titans through mechanical means, and bring heavy armaments as they annex other lands in a bid to save their own from ruin and depletion. In particular, they use geothermal energy from steam turbine towers allowing them to maintain an advanced mechanical technology.

    The current leadership is the young Emperor Niall, wise beyond his years and calm. He seeks to rule the Empire of Mor Ardain through more peaceful and diplomatic means, as opposed to the more militaristic means of his predecessors, though comes into conflict with his council of senators over the decision Mor Ardain must take. His elder cousin, Mòrag Ladair, was raised by Niall's father, alongside him in Gormott Province. She was educated to be emperor until Niall's birth. Upon the old Emperor's passing Niall was made emperor very young, while Mòrag trained in the art of war to become the new Special Inquisitor, passed over due to her gender. Mòrag however, finds relief in the freedom from a future of ruling the nation, leading the military with a strong will and dedication as the Flamebringer.

    Down the Imperial line, two Blades have been retained, as the Crown Jewels of Mor Ardain. Brighid, wielder of blue flames, and Aegeon, the wave shielding the crown.

18. #18The Letherian Archipelago and the Letherians

    The Leftherian Titans are home to the Leftherian Archipelago, whose territory extends above the connected Titans forming a group of floating islands resembling a school of jellyfish. When these Titans are struck by lightning, they produce Lightning Pearls. They surround the main Leftherian Titan, who is so massive that it has its own gravitational pull, which attracts the smaller Titans and a wall of clouds that hides it from view. The main titan of Leftheria used to swim in the surface of the Cloud Sea exposed. At that time, Torna built the Spirit Crucible Elphys on the Main Titan as a tomb for the royal family. This area is notable for not having much of a Titan's Ether flow going through it, as well as small luminous particles that absorb Ether from other beings within.

    The defining trait of Leftherians is their signature hazel eyes and their Northern English accents. In all other regards, they are physically just the same as any other human.

    The region maintained itself relatively prosperous throughout most of its history.

    It is told that in the Isle of Sleeping Remains there used to be a kingdom that was thought to have been destroyed by a natural disaster, with part of it sinking into the Cloud Sea.

    After the end of the Aegis War, the Tornan prince Addam Origo arrives in the region inside a Tornan vessel, becoming the founder of Hero's Rest, a small settlement near the entrance to the Spirit Crucible Elphys. Addam would seal the something inside the Spirit Crucible, and sink his vessel into the Cloud Sea with a certain Blade on board as part of his "trial" for humanity. The entrance to the Crucible would be sealed with a lock that could only be opened by people of Tornan descent.

    Addam planned to have Leftheria become the new home for his followers, sending Lora and Jin to relay the message for them to gather there. After an attack on Spessia wipes out the militia stationed there, Hero's Rest became the last bastion for the Addamite faction.

    Azurda, a Titan capable of speech, was appointed by Addam to become a guardian to the village and the entrance to Elpys. Addam would live out the rest of his life peacefully alongside his wife and child. The Crucible would become his final resting place.

    Hero's Rest would become Fonsett Village. Many adventurers would be drawn to the region due to rumors about the treasure sealed away inside the Spirit Crucible. For over a century, Fonsett youths and foreign adventurers would venture into the dangerous dungeon, but most would never return.

    After 200 years, rumors turned into legend and stopped being taken seriously. As time passed, Azurda's title of "Village Guardian" and the reverence for the Spirit Crucible become attributed to the entrance marker near the village, which the folks of Fonsett Village began to deeply respect as part of their tradition.

    This is the home of our main character, Rex.

19. #19Temperantia, Indol and the Indoline Praetorium

    Temperantia is a barren, manta ray-like Titan floating across the Cloud Sea, its entire landscape is extensively scarred and blackened and its waters severely poisoned and coloured purple, but still supporting a wide variety of animal life and even some hardy plant life.

    Indol, is a complete opposite, as a dragon-like Titan that flies above the Cloud Sea. Ruled by the Indoline Praetorium, it controls the procurement and supply of Core Crystals, of which Blades are born, and keeps every Blade in Alrest officially registered, tracked and controlled. With both a beautiful cityscape and an extensive refugee camp, Indol aims to aid all in the name of the Architect.

    The Indoline people are tall, slender people with blue skin and pointed ears, with extremely long lifespans compared to other races, to the point of centuries. They speak in a Mid-Atlantic accent.

    The old prosperous nation of Judicium came into contact with Morythian artifacts salvaged from the Cloud Sea, and began researching them. Because of this, they were able to learn about the make-up of Blades and Titans, and began experimenting on ways to modify and control them.

    Eventually, the people of Judicium split into two different factions. One remained in Temperantia, and furthered their biotech development, culminating into the creation of Flesh Eater and Titan Weapon technology, propelling Judicium into a position of great power. They became known as the masters of Biological Arts, rivaling other great powers of the time such as Torna and Coeia.

    The other smaller faction united under a person called Meldinare, and eventually left Temperantia behind, becoming the Indoline. Rather than mere archeological relics, Meldinare saw beyond the Morythian artifacts and found in them "divine revelations". One such artifact held a lot of meaning to Meldinare, the Aegis, and so the Indoline religion and mythos sprung forth from it.

    The Indoline would move to the titan of Indol, creating the Praetorium, and began to spread their faith across Alrest. The founder Meldinare would become the first Praetor. The start of the Indoline religion likely coincides with year 0 of the current Alrestian calendar.

    1500 years ago, the Indoline Mural depicting the creation myth of Alrest was painted, at a time when the nation was still new. The advanced techniques used to create it were seemingly lost to time over the upcoming millennia.

    Even though they chose to walk a different path from the Judicians, Indol continued researching Morythian artifacts independently, as a deeply guarded secret known only to the Praetors and their right hand men. This research eventually culminated in the creation of the Blade Eater technology. Despite possessing the image of a kind and charitable institution, Indol was still an armed nation with its own political and military goals.

    During the reign of the 107th Praetor, Rhadallis, Indol entered a military alliance with Mor Ardain. At that same time, an Indoline preacher would secretly climb the World Tree. Upon returning from Elysium with two Core Crystals and awakening one, Praetor Rhadallis would promote this preacher to Quaestor, seeing in him and in his Blade great potential to further Indol's own goals. This Blade was named Malos.

    Mor Ardain and Indol proceeded to conduct a military campaign against the nation of Coeia. The Blade Malos destroys the sacred Aegis artifact and claims the title for himself. He went rogue and destroyed Coeia in the middle of the Coeian war sponsored by Indol, kickstarting the Aegis War. He would go on to destroy Judicium, scarring Temperantia to the point of inhabitability forevermore, and then launch attacks on many other smaller nations.

    The Praetorium chose to back the Tornan militia created to fight against Malos, by providing funding through the Argentum Trade Guild as an intermediary to maintain plausible deniability.

    Amalthus becomes the 108th and final Indoline Praetor, rumoured to be obtained through less than savoury means. Under his reign, passage to the World Tree becomes forbidden. Using the powers of the Master Driver, Amalthus develops the cleansing procedure, a method to increase the likelihood of resonance of Core Crystals. By blackmailing the Tantalese royal dynasty, Indol would come into the possession of vast quantities of Core Chips.

    By controlling the supply of both Core Chips and Core Crystals, Indol would become unrivaled in its geopolitical position in Alrest, effectively managing the entire war economy. Despite this, the Indoline Praetorium would sign into the Osirian Treaty (350 years ago), vowing to refrain from intervention in times of war, and through historic revisionism they would uphold a virtuous image, while allowing Alrest to stagnate and decay under them.

    One Blade under Indol's governance, the Goddess of Indol, Fan la Norne, has risen in prominence. All who reside in Indol cherish her stoic kindness and respect her fine control over Ether, to the point of shutting down the mightiest Blades. Though questions have begun to arise about her oddly shaped Core Crystal...almost half missing.

20. #20Genbu and the Kingdom of Tantal

    Genbu is a large Titan resembling a massive turtle. Genbu features a much colder climate than other Titans, and is the only one known to experience snowfall. At night, the starry sky is seen from giant holes in Genbu's shell, and glittering particles of ether float in the air and creates a beautiful shimmer.

    Genbu's current residents, the modern Tantalese, resemble humans, however they appear to have distinct cross-shaped markings on their face and the majority of them have orange or red colored hair. They speak with a South English Received Pronunciation accent, just like the people of Torna of old.

    Thousands of years ago, Tantal used to possess a drastically different climate, being both warmer and more friendly towards crops. The old inhabitants of Tantal resided on the Genbu Drifts, back when the area was a huge lake. They would go on to establish the Memorial Ruins and other locations sprinkled around the lower areas of Genbu.

    During the Aegis War, Malos' Artifices ravaged Tantal, destroying most of the structures built by the older civilisation.

    After the fall of Torna, a group of Tornan survivors evacuated to Tantal, where they founded the Kingdom of Tantal. With the loss of their homeland, and without the guiding hand of the hero Addam, the people began infighting. Those who followed Addam believed that humans, Blades, and Titans should live together, while his rivals believed that humans were the masters and that Blades and Titans were their tools.

    Taking advantage of the chaos, a faction of counter-Addamites, led by the Tornan Prince Zettar took command of the situation, creating the Tantalese royal dynasty. Despite this, Zettar was deeply unpopular, and so in a bid to win over the hearts of the people, the Tantalese royals would stake claim to Addam's legacy and bloodline.

    United under a new banner, the Tantalese proceeded to salvage the felled Artifice Ophion from the Cloud Sea. Using their Tornan engineering skills, they were able to separate the control conduit from the machine, calling it the Omega Fetter. The temple of Genbu's Crown was created to store it, and a Blade was discovered that was capable of interfacing with the device. This Blade would be passed down the royal line.

    To prevent the tragedy of the Aegis War from ever taking place again, Tantal used the power of the Omega Fetter to command the revived Ophion to carve out the Great Void around the World Tree and to attack anyone attempting to reach it.

    In a bid to reinforce their hold on power, the royal dynasty began enforcing isolationist policies. Using the Omega Fetter to order Genbu to submerge, they acted to prevent the Tantalese from coming into contact with outsiders so that they would stay ignorant of the truth.

    The Indoline Praetorium helped legitimise the dynasty's manufactured history for a price. In exchange for their silence, Tantal would grant Indol an annual tribute of Core Chips manufactured from Genbu's ether flow.

    The siphoning of Genbu's ether caused a harsh change in the climate of the titan. By the time the effects became noticeable, Indol began blackmailing Tantal, preventing the Tantalese royals from backing down from the deal, lest their rule becomes completely delegitimised.

    As the titan's condition deteriorated, the increasing snowfall and the influence of the Cloud Sea monsters forces the Tantalese to begin building their living spaces at a higher and higher elevation, climbing alongside the pillars onto the upper levels of the titan, eventually culminating in the construction of Theosoir, Tantal's capital.

    In due time, harvests decline to the point where the nation stops being able to feed itself, leading to mass poverty and starvation, as well as a stagnant economy dependent on overpriced smuggled goods from other nations.

    His Highness the Crown Prince Ozychlyrus Brounev Tantal, son of King Eulogimenos Tantal, has been exiled from the Titan for breaking the laws of Tantal's isolationist policies. Currently, it's said the the banished prince is acting as an envoy for Indol...

21. #21The Golden Country, Torna

    In ancient times, old Torna used to dominate Alrest for a thousand years. By leveraging the incredible power of their titan, they were unrivaled in their might.

    By greatly depending on it, the Tornans became the people closest to their titan in all of Alrest. They came to understand how they functioned, how they reproduced and grew, and how integral Blades were in this process.

    More than any other nation, Torna understood the power Titans wielded. Torna was a fertile Titan, capable of giving birth to many more Titans. They respected them, worshiped them, feared them. And so, during the reign of Alektos the First, the power of the Tornan Titan was sealed away to prevent its misuse, the seal guarded in Auresco, Torna's capital.

    The gardens of Aureus Palace were designed by the first king to convey the ideals of harmony he wished to impart on his retainers. Not wanting to exploit their Blades and Titans any further, Tornans began working alongside them as partners. They developed their technological skills, creating powerful weapons and titanless vessels to maintain their prosperity. Through their craft and feats of engineering, they became one of the great powers of Alrest.

    Over a century before the Aegis War, a woman called Ornelia grew to be loved by all the common folk. Thanks to her bravery and heroism, she was awarded the title of Knight, and granted the Paragon of Torna, the strongest Blade of the kingdom, as her partner. Jin.

    Lady Ornelia and Jin would go on many adventures, befriending a 700 year old Tornan offspring Titan by the name of Azurda. During their travels, Jin would learn about the taboo practices performed on Judicium, and began to question his legacy on the world.

    During a period known as the war of independence, the duo fought as a part of the Territorial Defense Corps, where they saved many people, including the folks of Hyber Village. Lady Ornelia would choose to retire and live out the rest of her days in the village she helped save, peacefully passing on alongside Jin nearly 80 years before the events of Aegis War.

    Despite possessing an history of belligerent rulers, the last King of Torna would be known as a wise and progressive ruler that saw valor in cooperation with other nations. His lineage would leave an immense impact on the history of Alrest. His affair with a non-Tornan woman would produce Addam Origo, the hero of the people. His brother Zettar would play a crucial role in the founding of the Tantalese royal dynasty.

22. #22Aegis War and Fall of Torna, Major Spoilers

    Jin's Core Crystal would be stolen from the royal family of Torna by lowlife, Gort, to be sold later. However, Jin, the powerful Ice Blade, was instead awakened by a young girl, Lora. Upon protecting the girl, slicing the arm of the thief determined to kill Lora to erase Jin again, the Paragon of Torna pledged his protection to the girl. On the run, they were each other's guiding lights.

    In the year 3564, The 107th Praetor Rhadallis sent an armed expedition to the Coeian Titan. The capital Omrantha and the rest of the Titan sank beneath the Cloud Sea. The act was attributed to an alliance between the Indoline Praetorium and the Empire of Mor Ardain, while in actuality, it was the work of Malos, one of the Aegises, who used his Siren Artifice to do the deed. Various other small scale battles between Malos and opposing forces also occurred on Genbu and Temperantia. At some point during the war, Judicium was wiped out. Quaestor Amalthus, the Driver of Malos, found that he could not control his own Blade, the Aegis. So, he gave its twin, an emerald to oppose Malos' amethyst, to someone of worthy heart, who could stop Malos. That person would be Addam Origo, heir of Torna, who awakened the second Aegis after High Prince Zettar failed to resonate with the Core Crystal. And from that core, a Blade of light was born. The second Aegis, Mythra.

    Knighting her Driver at Uraya's Olethro Playhouse, she was the main force capable of stopping Malos. It is said that she and her Driver, Addam, were close, as if they were father and daughter, happy. However, Addam feared Mythra's great power, a lack of acceptance between them that lead to great tragedy.

    On the hunt for Malos, the prince and the Aegis would confront Lora and Jin. Recognising the Blade as stolen, a brief clash was all it took for him to determine Lora was a worthy Driver of Jin, and their partnership was good and true. Lora had another Blade, one named Haze, who she had a near perfect resonance with upon awakening her. Driver and Blade could be confused for sisters. Haze was not a mere pretty face though. The Wind Element Blade had the innate ability to suppress the Ether in beings, most notably, Blades and Titans.

    Joining them was a Flesh Eater originally resonated with Quasetor Amalthus, Minoth, alongside the Emperor of Mor Ardain, Hugo, and his faithful Blades, Brighid and Aegeon, all fighting to stop Malos from destroying all of Alrest by filling the Tornan Titan with so much energy (within his numerous Gargoyle Artifices) in its Core Crystal, that it would become an immense bomb destroying the world. They also acted as guardians for two children. Milton, rescued from a flooded village, and Mikhael, a youth sold from the Titan, Estham, to Torna's Porton Village, which was burned down and looted.

    Malos was defeated in the end. However, with a terrible cost. He destroyed Auresco, where Milton and Mikhael were left for safety. Mikhael survived. But Milton did not. The death of someone she cared deeply about caused Mythra to go into a bout of short term madness, dedicated to destroying Malos. In the process of sending Malos burning down with his Siren unit, she accidentally shattered Torna's Core Crystal, causing an explosion which took the life of Emperor Hugo, as he protected Addam and his friends. The Tornan Titan was sunk, an act that would be forever recorded in Mythra's mind and the history of Alrest. The anguish of the loss of so much life broke Mythra, the final straw being when she saw Milton's body, but was turned away from Mikhael in apathy. Her personality shut itself away, creating a new being, an Aegis of flame much less powerful, but who, in her eyes, was an improvement of every flaw she had. A preferable version of her. Pyra.

    Despite Pyra's more appealing personality, the decision was made to seal her, for Addam felt as if humanity wasn't ready to work with her power. He failed so badly after all. She was sent into a 500 year sleep, sealed away in Addam Origo's ship. Addam planned to have Leftheria become the new home for his followers, the scattered Tornans loyal to his beliefs in Blades, human and Titan equality, sending Lora and Jin to Spessia to relay the message for them to gather there. However, the Praetorium, particularly new Praetor Amalthus, had other plans. Having assassinated his opposition, and the previous Praetor, Rhadallis, it was time to cement his and the Praetorium's power over Alrest. With weaponised Titans, Indolese soldiers, Flesh Eaters, and the newly created, Blade Eaters, an attack was launched on Spessia out of a belief the second active Aegis was there. An Aegis which must be destroyed so no one could ever defy Indol. After Indol's attack on Spessia wipes out the militia stationed there, including Lora, Hero's Rest becomes the last bastion for the Addamite faction.

    Azurda was appointed by Addam to become a guardian to the village and the entrance to Elpys. Addam would live out the rest of his life peacefully alongside his wife and child. The Crucible would become his final resting place.

    Meanwhile, Haze would be taken back to Amalthus in her Core Crystal, no memories left. Praetor Amalthus desired her powers, powers that gave her control over all Blades and Titans. So, the Blade Eater procedure was performed on him, taking a piece of her Core to be placed on his forehead. The process stole Haze's lingering evolution of her identity. She had lost her name. And thus, she was reborn as Fan la Norne. Goddess of the Indoline Praetorium. Amalthus had become the Master Driver.

23. #23Torna - The Terror of the Modern Age, Spoilers

    In the time where Titans dying of old age became a true concern for the residents of Alrest, six people, all sharing Blade origins, had assembled to obtain the sealed Aegis, and to bring Alrest ruin for the horrible actions of Drivers and other people of Alrest against Blades.

    Jin had survived the attack on Spessia, now a wandering phantom, a Flesh Eater of near perfection. He had power over elementary particles, but no soul driving him forward, outside the promise to not forget his beloved Driver, Lora. Dead in all but body, it was in the rain, 500 years after Torna sunk, that someone reached out a hand in compassion towards the downtrodden Jin. Surprisingly, that hand belonged to Malos, the Aegis long thought destroyed. His Core Crystal severely damaged, but still alive, he recognised Jin's tortured soul, and pledged loyalty to him. He had been questioning his own desire for destruction, whether it was of his own will, or predetermined the moment he was resonated with. With Jin, he pledged a new, more refined goal. To reach Elysium, find the answers behind their turmoil and to kill the Architect, along with the rest of humanity. They secured a warship known as the Monoceros, which they use as their base, and an old Tornan warship, the Marsanes, both which function without need of a Titan.

    Jin stores Lora’s frozen body on board the Marsanes in memoriam of her wishes and why he commits to his path. Jin then recruits many Flesh Eaters and Blade Eaters for the organisation. He frees Akhos and Patroka from a Tantalese ship headed to Indol, and at some point after Amalthus began executing his Blade Eaters experiments, he found Mikhail, who escaped. Lastly, he saves the daughter of the Lord of Echell from being executed by the Praetorium. All four of them join the organization. Akhos works as the brains of Torna, Mikhail as the engineer, Patroka as a general fighter, the lord's daughter as a healer. Meanwhile, Malos acts as the subservient second in command to Jin, leader of Torna, who wishes to punish humanity for its usage of Blades, and the inability for Blades to have a culture and memory of their own. The ultimate aim of this organisation is to obtain the other Aegis for Malos and then ascend the World Tree to ultimately destroy Alrest.

24. #24Main Party Members (XC2)

    Rex – A teenage boy with short, spiky brown hair and bright blue eyes. He wears a blue and gold salvager suit with a red scarf, and his signature weapon is a pair of glowing Aegis swords. His slim but toned build reflects his energetic nature. A young salvager who becomes the Driver of Pyra, an Aegis with the power to reshape the world. Naïve yet determined, he seeks Elysium as a promised paradise for humanity. Over time, he matures into a true leader, forming deep bonds with his allies and standing against those who would misuse the Aegis’s power.

    Pyra/Mythra – Pyra has long, red hair and green eyes, wearing a red and gold armored bodysuit with emerald-green core crystal embedded in her chest. Mythra, her alternate form, has long blonde hair, golden eyes, and wears a white and gold outfit with similar armor plating. Both have an ethereal beauty and an air of mystery. A dual-personality Blade known as the Aegis. Pyra is kind and gentle, while Mythra is confident and brash. Both seek to reach Elysium to stop Malos, their dark counterpart, from destroying the world. As the game progresses, they reconcile their past mistakes and fuse into their true form, Pneuma.

    Nia – A petite Gormotti girl with short, silvery-white hair and cat-like ears. She wears a white and yellow bodysuit with brown armor accents. In her true Flesh Eater form, her eyes turn golden, and she gains more feline traits. A sarcastic but kind-hearted Gormotti girl who initially opposes Rex but later joins him. She hides her true identity as a Flesh Eater, a fusion of human and Blade. Her journey revolves around self-acceptance and her growing affection for Rex.

    Tora – A short, round Nopon with fluffy yellow fur, tiny wings, and big, expressive eyes. Unlike Riki, he wears steampunk-inspired goggles and a small brown vest. His bulky design reflects his love for technology and invention. A Nopon inventor who dreams of becoming a Driver despite being unable to resonate with Blades. To overcome this, he builds his own artificial Blade, Poppi. Though often played for comic relief, he proves to be a resourceful ally.

    Morag – A tall, elegant woman with short black hair and piercing amber eyes. She wears a dark military uniform with red and silver detailing, a high collar, and a long cape, reinforcing her authority as an imperial officer. A high-ranking imperial officer from Mor Ardain. She initially hunts Rex but later joins him after realizing the corruption within her own government. She is highly disciplined, fiercely loyal, and one of the most skilled warriors in Alrest.

    Zeke – A tall, muscular man with messy dark blue hair and an eyepatch covering his left eye. He wears a long, dark coat with silver armor plates and wields a massive sword. Despite his dramatic gestures, his regal bearing hints at his noble heritage. A self-proclaimed Chosen One with a goofy personality, but in reality, he is the exiled prince of Tantal and a skilled fighter. Despite his eccentricities, he is deeply protective of those he cares about and plays a key role in the fight against Malos.

    Poppi – An artificial Blade resembling a young girl with short brown hair, large red eyes, and robotic joints. She has multiple forms, each with different outfits, but her default look features a maid-like dress with mechanical armor plating. Tora’s artificial Blade, designed to resemble a real Blade while being powered by Ether. Unlike other Blades, she does not require a Driver to function. Over time, she develops emotions and a strong bond with her allies.

    Pandoria - the Blade of Zeke von Genbu, prince of the Kingdom of Tantal. As a rare and powerful Electric-element Blade, she shares a close and comical yet deeply affectionate bond with Zeke. Despite their theatrical dynamic (Zeke often being overly dramatic and calling himself "Zekeinator"), Pandoria often plays the straight-woman role, grounding him while clearly caring for him deeply. She supports Zeke through his exile from Tantal and during his personal journey of growth and reconciliation with his father, King Eulogimenos.

25. #25Blades and Drivers

    Keys:

    Blades are a race of beings resonated from Core Crystals, usually born from Titans. Blades, on awakening, wield a weapon and an element of Ether (Fire, Water, Wind, Ice, Earth, Electric, Light and Dark). This Ether is drawn from the atmosphere around the Blade, giving them power. Blades are technically immortal, being able to recover from any injury, but can't heal if their Core Crystal is fractured and return to their Core Crystal when the Driver who resonates with them dies, losing their memories for another awakening. The people who awaken Blades are Drivers, wielding the weapons and elements of the Blades for their needs and wants. Strong affinity between Blade and Driver boosts both capabilities. Only those who are worthy may resonate with a Core Crystal. If they are not worthy and try to bond with a Blade, they will be injured or knocked out. In worse cases, they can die. Artificial Blades have been created to make those unworthy capable of wielding a Blade.

26. #26Alrest

    Keys: World

    A great sea of clouds, surrounding a World Tree that reaches far beyond the skies, where the Architect, the god of this world, is said to wait. Titans, continent sized beings, host their own distinct civilisations, cultures, wildlife, and environments while circling the World Tree. Ether, a substance that Blades draw on for power, is found everywhere in Alrest, from the soil, to the water to the atmosphere, due to the Titans having a bloodstream of Ether. In recent years, these Titans have been dying, sinking in the Cloud Sea, creating fear over the future as habitable land becomes scarce. However small Titans are still being used as Titan ships, flying from main Titans. Salvage from the Cloud Sea is a lucrative business in bringing up to the surface for technological development and archaeological history. Mor Ardain Titan has the most advanced Titan ships, with cables and control centres repurposed from salvage used to direct the nervous system of small flying Titans.

27. #27The Argentum Tradeguild and Argentum Titans

    Nopon are small, round, egg-shaped creatures covered with fur and feathers. They sport small faces and have a pair of stubby arms and stubby legs, as well as a pair of prehensile wing-like ears, which are stated to allow them to slightly glide. They come in a variery of colours, including brown, pink, orange, tan, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. They are usually half the height of a human, though some can grow to equal a human.

    The single most important character in Alrestian Nopon history was the pirate, Captain Nopopon. In his prime, it is said that he sailed all of the Cloud Sea, discovering several titans. He perfectly embodied the nopon spirit: shrewdness, keenness for profit and fame, never-ending thirst for treasure.

    He chose to discard the erudite, well structured language that Nopon talked at the time, manufacturing a cutesy, broken dialect (meh-meh!) to purposely take advantage of non-Nopon people, that found Nopon cuteness endearing. Taking advantage of this perceived weakness, he managed to strike various beneficial dealings, which eventually led him to creating the first Nopon Trade Guild.

    This successful tactic caught on among all Nopon merchants, and since it was so widespread across generations, all of Noponkind soon grew to consider it normal, official Nopon speech, with the origins behind the dialect becoming lost to time. Generally, they refer to themselves in the third person, use cutesy euphemisms, call people "friends" whether they be real friends or total strangers, say "meh" as a common interjection, and use "pon" as a suffix on relation nouns (e.g. "sisterpon" and "masterpon").

    One of Nopopon's descendants was fortunate enough to become a Driver. It was one of the rare times in history where a Nopon had enough potential to bond with a Blade. Using the power of his Blade, he went to war torn regions and took advantage of the chaos to acquire profitable deals. This Nopon would then become the founder of the Argentum Trade Guild, one of eleven Nopon trade guilds in Alrest. It would find itself the most successful of these after striking a deal with Indol and a Tornan Prince (Addam) in order to act as a middleman for Indol to fund the militia created to counter the rogue Aegis, Malos. The idea was to use a Nopon guild to complete the transaction discreetly without inciting further political tensions with other nations. Argentum profited greatly from this deal, fostering a good working relationship with the highly influential Indol and getting a whole bunch of cash at the same time. Meanwhile, the original top dog, Pyrithium, fell into decline after awful business decisions, which lead to it becoming the least prominent of the Nopon trade guilds. Voltis could give some competition to Argentum, however its leaders are too busy funding vacations trips around Alrest (initiations called Walky-Walky) under the guise of self-improvement. As such, Argentum is mostly unrivaled under the management of Chairman Bana.

    The trade guild is a large ship carried among the Argentum Titans, smaller than most other Titans and unable to bear much wildlife, but still strong enough to carry heavy loads. The largest of these, Goldmouth, resembles a flying whale, and carries the founding ship of the Argentum Trade Guild under Nopon direction.

28. #28Gormott and the Gormotti

    Gormott is a large giraffe-like Titan which is notably fertile, hosting lush plains and forests, with accessible areas affected by the movements of the Cloud Sea.

    The native people of Gormott, the Gormotti, a humanoid species with feline characteristics, the most notable being their cat-like ears, were one with nature and mostly kept to themselves. They grouped together in culturally distinct tribes or clans, each ruled by a family under the command of a Chief. They speak with a Welsh accent.

    The resource rich lands of Gormott attracted the interest of many foreign powers and mercenaries, which proved to be dangerous for the lifestyle of the peaceful Gormotti.

    And so, the seven Chiefs of the seven most influential clans came together and founded the White Chair, a city boasting a fortress that many considered impenetrable. The White Chair became the political and military center of Gormott. A form of government was created where the chiefs of each clan would come together to make decisions in cooperation, under the guidance of a High Chief. The city maintained its own army, with esteemed warriors from the diferent clans rising to positions of Knighthood.

    During the era of the Aegis War, the fall of Coeia made the lingering Coeian forces stationed in Gormott go awry. Left without orders and supplies, they began raiding Gormotti villages and sowing chaos.

    Mor Ardain intervened to pacify the Coeian remnants, and the White Chair sought to use the opportunity to develop a better relationship with Mor Ardain and Torna, in order to secure Gormott's geopolitical position in Alrest.

    After the conclusion of the Aegis War 500 years ago, with the fall of Torna and the death of Emperor Hugo, the relationship between Mor Ardain and Gormott would slowly deteriorate over the upcoming centuries, as the Ardainian titan became increasingly more inhospitable, and the resources of Gormott proved too valuable to ignore.

    Roughly 50 years ago, Mor Ardain launches a full scale invasion on Gormott. The White Chair was annihilated, razed to the ground without a trace, forcing Gormott to surrender their sovereignty to the Ardainian Empire.

    Gormott is annexed, becoming a province. The Gormotti army was disbanded, however the tribes were allowed to maintain their own smaller individual defense corps. Mor Ardain vowed to not interfere with Gormotti customs and culture, in exchange for complete control over the politics of the region. In place of the White Chair, the main settlement is the town of Torigoth. On the borders of this new capital, lies Cordell Village.

    A decade ago, Mor Ardain and Uraya fought a territorial war over Gormott, dubbed the Gormotti War. The war ends with a ceasefire between the two powers. Many war refugees from the conflict end up in Indol, where they are allowed to stay indefinitely due to Praetor Amalthus' decree.

    During the upheaval of the Gormotti War, the Lord of Echell ended up having his title and position removed by the people of his city, after it was found out that he was hijacking tax money to chase after a cure for his sickly daughter. The Lord and his two daughters were driven out and became homeless drifters. Their mansion was demolished later on.

    In the modern day, the Gormotti generally enjoy the technology Mor Ardain has brought, and are often recruited for the Mor Ardain army if they resonate with a Core Crystal, giving good pay and opportunities for the families. However, there are still tense relations between Gormottis and Ardanians, due to the imperial takeover.

29. #29Uraya and the Urayans

    Uraya is a whale-like Titan, ruled by the Kingdom of Uraya, whose territory is contained within the vast cave spreading through the Titan's body. The caves are lit during the day by a faint sunlight filtering through the translucent membranes on its back, and at night by bioluminescent plants, the Saffronias, emitting pink and orange light, creating a beautiful shimmery scenery.

    Urayans are a race of humans with pointed ears, darker complexions on average, and what appear to be scales on their cheeks. Many of them have hair in shades of teal and speak in an Australian accent. Urayans are usually a friendly but strong race, with a hostility to Mor Ardain, who they contest against over land in the dying world, to the near brink of war.

    Captain Nopopon, a Nopon that supposedly conquered the entire Cloud Sea in his prime, once created a settlement around Garfont, back when the area was still largely covered by a huge lake. At that time, Uraya was still a fairly unexplored region.

    It is unknown who the founders of Uraya were, but their lineage eventually split over the passing decades, with their descendants forming nine noble houses that completely ruled over the region. Among these nine, two houses in particular held incredible power and influence, the Duchy of Envia and the Duchy of Selosia.

    During a period later known as the War of Succession, all nine houses fought for power over one another, in hopes of unifying all of Uraya under their own banner.

    The leader of Envia, Hannes, died suddenly of mysterious circumstances. His two heirs, Giani and Philip, took claim to his position, but were also soon found dead by a mysterious illness. Envia was incapable of finding another legitimate heir in the midst of this tragedy, and so the house came to an end alongside their dynasty.

    Envia's fate was followed by two of the other smaller houses, unable to stand up to Selosia now that its main rival had been crushed. The six remaining houses united under Selosia, giving rise to the Kingdom of Uraya. The leader of Selosia became the undisputed king of the region.

    To celebrate the kingdom's founding, six precious rings were created - the Jeweled Signets - that represented the right of rule of each of the leaders of the six houses. When combined they form a single crest that is the national symbol of Uraya. To Uraya these are national treasures equivalent to the Crown Jewels of Mor Ardain, passed down the family lines from heir to heir.

    Needless to say, foul play was suspected regarding the fate of Envia. It wouldn't be a stretch to imagine that it was Selosia that set forward the covert assassination of the leaders of Envia, given how it was the one with the most to gain from the tragedy. However that might not be where the story ends, as there were rumors that Hannes had an affair with a Gormotti woman before dying, meaning that there might still exist some form of bastard lineage of Envia hiding somewhere in Gormott. Regardless, the house of Selosia continues to maintain its superiority as late as the year 4058, with Queen Raqura's rule from capital city, Fonsa Myma.

    Urayan military armour and weapons are made of a kind of hardened coral, specifically excrement from the Urayan titan. The embodiment of their closeness to Uraya. Unlike the Ardainians, Urayans are completely dependent on their titan's biology in order to survive, given that they live within its stomach and are at the mercy of its Cloud Sea diving cycles. This has also driven them to specialise in developing biotechnology.

    Urayan nobility seems to keep its military at arms length and heavily relies in external contracts with mercenaries in order to defend the nation. This could be out of a desire to prevent a militant uprising in the face of the sacrifices that the nation had to enact in the war effort against Mor Ardain over territory, however this policy turned Uraya into the perfect breeding ground for merc groups such as Garfont, which seemingly don't exist anywhere else in the world and ended up having a pretty positive influence on Alrest.

30. #30Mor Ardain and the Ardanians

    Mor Ardain is one of the oldest Titans alive in Alrest. Possibly even older than Indol, Uraya and the other major powers that still exist. This Titan is a giant, metallic humanoid. The left arm below Alba Cavanich, capital of the Empire of Mor Ardain, is a mere stump. Since it is walking through the Cloud Sea, it is affected by its tides. Mor Ardain houses an extremely hot climate resulting in desolate landscapes. As the Titan nears its death from old age, not helped by the intervention of Ardainian technology over-exerting the titan's energy resources, its temperature has been rising consistently, making agriculture and food production increasingly difficult, although geothermal technology is more effective. This was the catalyst for the Empire's conquest of what is now Gormott Province whose titan, though also already past its prime, is still relatively far more fertile.

    Ardainians are human-like people, the most regular looking to an actual human in Alrest. They speak in Scottish accents, and their military tends

    The first emperor of Mor Ardain was a man called Ephem. He journeyed the far reaching ancient lands, cementing himself a wide legacy. One day he met someone called Carraig, with whom he formed a strong partnership. The identity of Carraig was lost to time, as people are unsure of his/her gender and race, or even if they were a Driver, Blade or Titan. Together they conquered the Mor Ardainian titan and founded the nation.

    Ephem's son would later continue on his father's footsteps and proceed to conquer a bunch of nearby nations, turning Mor Ardain into an empire that would continue for many centuries to come, giving rise to the imperial bloodline that would eventually produce the Ardanach and Ladair imperial family.

    It is possible that Carraig was the very first Special Inquisitor, or in the very least the precursor that inspired the creation of the role. The Mor Ardainian military is divided into different ranks. The lowly garrison rank and file are separated into different regiments depending on the region in which they operate, such as the Gormotti regiment, or the one from the capital. Soldiers and Sergeants are foot units using steam rifles as their primary weapons, grenades for an extra punch, and Ether Nets to restrain Blades, who's ability to draw Ether from the atmosphere gets interrupted by the nets, making them powerless. Soldiers have round helmets, while Sergeants generally have taller helmets. These answer to Grand Marshals, such as Robalt. Reigning over these we have the First Imperial Guard that defends the imperial palace. The highest rank of the military is called the Carraig Special Guard Unit, which are second only to the Special Inquisitor themselves, from whom they follow direct orders.

    The Imperial military also frequently uses Rotts as attack dogs, Cetus Titans for aerial assaults, terrestrial Archelon Titans as defence mechanism units, and bipedal Ballistaur Titans as assault artillery units.

    During the Aegis War, the Empire was rising, under Emperor Hugo Ardanach, entering an armed conflict against Coeia and its capital, Omrantha. They formed a military alliance with the Indoline Praetorium, and as a result, attracted widespread suspicion following the destruction of Coeia. Emperor Hugo soon died after, protecting the Hero Adamm as the Titan, Torna, was destroyed by the Aegis.

    The Empire of Mor Ardain controls small Titans through mechanical means, and bring heavy armaments as they annex other lands in a bid to save their own from ruin and depletion. In particular, they use geothermal energy from steam turbine towers allowing them to maintain an advanced mechanical technology.

    The current leadership is the young Emperor Niall, wise beyond his years and calm. He seeks to rule the Empire of Mor Ardain through more peaceful and diplomatic means, as opposed to the more militaristic means of his predecessors, though comes into conflict with his council of senators over the decision Mor Ardain must take. His elder cousin, Mòrag Ladair, was raised by Niall's father, alongside him in Gormott Province. She was educated to be emperor until Niall's birth. Upon the old Emperor's passing Niall was made emperor very young, while Mòrag trained in the art of war to become the new Special Inquisitor, passed over due to her gender. Mòrag however, finds relief in the freedom from a future of ruling the nation, leading the military with a strong will and dedication as the Flamebringer.

    Down the Imperial line, two Blades have been retained, as the Crown Jewels of Mor Ardain. Brighid, wielder of blue flames, and Aegeon, the wave shielding the crown.

31. #31The Leftherian Archipelago and the Leftherians

    The Leftherian Titans are home to the Leftherian Archipelago, whose territory extends above the connected Titans forming a group of floating islands resembling a school of jellyfish. When these Titans are struck by lightning, they produce Lightning Pearls. They surround the main Leftherian Titan, who is so massive that it has its own gravitational pull, which attracts the smaller Titans and a wall of clouds that hides it from view. The main titan of Leftheria used to swim in the surface of the Cloud Sea exposed. At that time, Torna built the Spirit Crucible Elphys on the Main Titan as a tomb for the royal family. This area is notable for not having much of a Titan's Ether flow going through it, as well as small luminous particles that absorb Ether from other beings within.

    The defining trait of Leftherians is their signature hazel eyes and their Northern English accents. In all other regards, they are physically just the same as any other human.

    The region maintained itself relatively prosperous throughout most of its history.

    It is told that in the Isle of Sleeping Remains there used to be a kingdom that was thought to have been destroyed by a natural disaster, with part of it sinking into the Cloud Sea.

    After the end of the Aegis War, the Tornan prince Addam Origo arrives in the region inside a Tornan vessel, becoming the founder of Hero's Rest, a small settlement near the entrance to the Spirit Crucible Elphys. Addam would seal the something inside the Spirit Crucible, and sink his vessel into the Cloud Sea with a certain Blade on board as part of his "trial" for humanity. The entrance to the Crucible would be sealed with a lock that could only be opened by people of Tornan descent.

    Addam planned to have Leftheria become the new home for his followers, sending Lora and Jin to relay the message for them to gather there. After an attack on Spessia wipes out the militia stationed there, Hero's Rest became the last bastion for the Addamite faction.

    Azurda, a Titan capable of speech, was appointed by Addam to become a guardian to the village and the entrance to Elpys. Addam would live out the rest of his life peacefully alongside his wife and child. The Crucible would become his final resting place.

    Hero's Rest would become Fonsett Village. Many adventurers would be drawn to the region due to rumors about the treasure sealed away inside the Spirit Crucible. For over a century, Fonsett youths and foreign adventurers would venture into the dangerous dungeon, but most would never return.

    After 200 years, rumors turned into legend and stopped being taken seriously. As time passed, Azurda's title of "Village Guardian" and the reverence for the Spirit Crucible become attributed to the entrance marker near the village, which the folks of Fonsett Village began to deeply respect as part of their tradition.

    This is the home of our main character, Rex.

32. #32Temperantia, Indol and the Indoline Praetorium

    Temperantia is a barren, manta ray-like Titan floating across the Cloud Sea, its entire landscape is extensively scarred and blackened and its waters severely poisoned and coloured purple, but still supporting a wide variety of animal life and even some hardy plant life.

    Indol, is a complete opposite, as a dragon-like Titan that flies above the Cloud Sea. Ruled by the Indoline Praetorium, it controls the procurement and supply of Core Crystals, of which Blades are born, and keeps every Blade in Alrest officially registered, tracked and controlled. With both a beautiful cityscape and an extensive refugee camp, Indol aims to aid all in the name of the Architect.

    The Indoline people are tall, slender people with blue skin and pointed ears, with extremely long lifespans compared to other races, to the point of centuries. They speak in a Mid-Atlantic accent.

    The old prosperous nation of Judicium came into contact with Morythian artifacts salvaged from the Cloud Sea, and began researching them. Because of this, they were able to learn about the make-up of Blades and Titans, and began experimenting on ways to modify and control them.

    Eventually, the people of Judicium split into two different factions. One remained in Temperantia, and furthered their biotech development, culminating into the creation of Flesh Eater and Titan Weapon technology, propelling Judicium into a position of great power. They became known as the masters of Biological Arts, rivaling other great powers of the time such as Torna and Coeia.

    The other smaller faction united under a person called Meldinare, and eventually left Temperantia behind, becoming the Indoline. Rather than mere archeological relics, Meldinare saw beyond the Morythian artifacts and found in them "divine revelations". One such artifact held a lot of meaning to Meldinare, the Aegis, and so the Indoline religion and mythos sprung forth from it.

    The Indoline would move to the titan of Indol, creating the Praetorium, and began to spread their faith across Alrest. The founder Meldinare would become the first Praetor. The start of the Indoline religion likely coincides with year 0 of the current Alrestian calendar.

    1500 years ago, the Indoline Mural depicting the creation myth of Alrest was painted, at a time when the nation was still new. The advanced techniques used to create it were seemingly lost to time over the upcoming millennia.

    Even though they chose to walk a different path from the Judicians, Indol continued researching Morythian artifacts independently, as a deeply guarded secret known only to the Praetors and their right hand men. This research eventually culminated in the creation of the Blade Eater technology. Despite possessing the image of a kind and charitable institution, Indol was still an armed nation with its own political and military goals.

    During the reign of the 107th Praetor, Rhadallis, Indol entered a military alliance with Mor Ardain. At that same time, an Indoline preacher would secretly climb the World Tree. Upon returning from Elysium with two Core Crystals and awakening one, Praetor Rhadallis would promote this preacher to Quaestor, seeing in him and in his Blade great potential to further Indol's own goals. This Blade was named Malos.

    Mor Ardain and Indol proceeded to conduct a military campaign against the nation of Coeia. The Blade Malos destroys the sacred Aegis artifact and claims the title for himself. He went rogue and destroyed Coeia in the middle of the Coeian war sponsored by Indol, kickstarting the Aegis War. He would go on to destroy Judicium, scarring Temperantia to the point of inhabitability forevermore, and then launch attacks on many other smaller nations.

    The Praetorium chose to back the Tornan militia created to fight against Malos, by providing funding through the Argentum Trade Guild as an intermediary to maintain plausible deniability.

    Amalthus becomes the 108th and final Indoline Praetor, rumoured to be obtained through less than savoury means. Under his reign, passage to the World Tree becomes forbidden. Using the powers of the Master Driver, Amalthus develops the cleansing procedure, a method to increase the likelihood of resonance of Core Crystals. By blackmailing the Tantalese royal dynasty, Indol would come into the possession of vast quantities of Core Chips.

    By controlling the supply of both Core Chips and Core Crystals, Indol would become unrivaled in its geopolitical position in Alrest, effectively managing the entire war economy. Despite this, the Indoline Praetorium would sign into the Osirian Treaty (350 years ago), vowing to refrain from intervention in times of war, and through historic revisionism they would uphold a virtuous image, while allowing Alrest to stagnate and decay under them.

    One Blade under Indol's governance, the Goddess of Indol, Fan la Norne, has risen in prominence. All who reside in Indol cherish her stoic kindness and respect her fine control over Ether, to the point of shutting down the mightiest Blades. Though questions have begun to arise about her oddly shaped Core Crystal...almost half missing.

33. #33Genbu and the Kingdom of Tantal

    Genbu is a large Titan resembling a massive turtle. Genbu features a much colder climate than other Titans, and is the only one known to experience snowfall. At night, the starry sky is seen from giant holes in Genbu's shell, and glittering particles of ether float in the air and creates a beautiful shimmer.

    Genbu's current residents, the modern Tantalese, resemble humans, however they appear to have distinct cross-shaped markings on their face and the majority of them have orange or red colored hair. They speak with a South English Received Pronunciation accent, just like the people of Torna of old.

    Thousands of years ago, Tantal used to possess a drastically different climate, being both warmer and more friendly towards crops. The old inhabitants of Tantal resided on the Genbu Drifts, back when the area was a huge lake. They would go on to establish the Memorial Ruins and other locations sprinkled around the lower areas of Genbu.

    During the Aegis War, Malos' Artifices ravaged Tantal, destroying most of the structures built by the older civilisation.

    After the fall of Torna, a group of Tornan survivors evacuated to Tantal, where they founded the Kingdom of Tantal. With the loss of their homeland, and without the guiding hand of the hero Addam, the people began infighting. Those who followed Addam believed that humans, Blades, and Titans should live together, while his rivals believed that humans were the masters and that Blades and Titans were their tools.

    Taking advantage of the chaos, a faction of counter-Addamites, led by the Tornan Prince Zettar took command of the situation, creating the Tantalese royal dynasty. Despite this, Zettar was deeply unpopular, and so in a bid to win over the hearts of the people, the Tantalese royals would stake claim to Addam's legacy and bloodline.

    United under a new banner, the Tantalese proceeded to salvage the felled Artifice Ophion from the Cloud Sea. Using their Tornan engineering skills, they were able to separate the control conduit from the machine, calling it the Omega Fetter. The temple of Genbu's Crown was created to store it, and a Blade was discovered that was capable of interfacing with the device. This Blade would be passed down the royal line.

    To prevent the tragedy of the Aegis War from ever taking place again, Tantal used the power of the Omega Fetter to command the revived Ophion to carve out the Great Void around the World Tree and to attack anyone attempting to reach it.

    In a bid to reinforce their hold on power, the royal dynasty began enforcing isolationist policies. Using the Omega Fetter to order Genbu to submerge, they acted to prevent the Tantalese from coming into contact with outsiders so that they would stay ignorant of the truth.

    The Indoline Praetorium helped legitimise the dynasty's manufactured history for a price. In exchange for their silence, Tantal would grant Indol an annual tribute of Core Chips manufactured from Genbu's ether flow.

    The siphoning of Genbu's ether caused a harsh change in the climate of the titan. By the time the effects became noticeable, Indol began blackmailing Tantal, preventing the Tantalese royals from backing down from the deal, lest their rule becomes completely delegitimised.

    As the titan's condition deteriorated, the increasing snowfall and the influence of the Cloud Sea monsters forces the Tantalese to begin building their living spaces at a higher and higher elevation, climbing alongside the pillars onto the upper levels of the titan, eventually culminating in the construction of Theosoir, Tantal's capital.

    In due time, harvests decline to the point where the nation stops being able to feed itself, leading to mass poverty and starvation, as well as a stagnant economy dependent on overpriced smuggled goods from other nations.

    His Highness the Crown Prince Ozychlyrus Brounev Tantal, son of King Eulogimenos Tantal, has been exiled from the Titan for breaking the laws of Tantal's isolationist policies. Currently, it's said the the banished prince is acting as an envoy for Indol...

34. #34The Golden Country, Torna

    In ancient times, old Torna used to dominate Alrest for a thousand years. By leveraging the incredible power of their titan, they were unrivaled in their might.

    By greatly depending on it, the Tornans became the people closest to their titan in all of Alrest. They came to understand how they functioned, how they reproduced and grew, and how integral Blades were in this process.

    More than any other nation, Torna understood the power Titans wielded. Torna was a fertile Titan, capable of giving birth to many more Titans. They respected them, worshiped them, feared them. And so, during the reign of Alektos the First, the power of the Tornan Titan was sealed away to prevent its misuse, the seal guarded in Auresco, Torna's capital.

    The gardens of Aureus Palace were designed by the first king to convey the ideals of harmony he wished to impart on his retainers. Not wanting to exploit their Blades and Titans any further, Tornans began working alongside them as partners. They developed their technological skills, creating powerful weapons and titanless vessels to maintain their prosperity. Through their craft and feats of engineering, they became one of the great powers of Alrest.

    Over a century before the Aegis War, a woman called Ornelia grew to be loved by all the common folk. Thanks to her bravery and heroism, she was awarded the title of Knight, and granted the Paragon of Torna, the strongest Blade of the kingdom, as her partner. Jin.

    Lady Ornelia and Jin would go on many adventures, befriending a 700 year old Tornan offspring Titan by the name of Azurda. During their travels, Jin would learn about the taboo practices performed on Judicium, and began to question his legacy on the world.

    During a period known as the war of independence, the duo fought as a part of the Territorial Defense Corps, where they saved many people, including the folks of Hyber Village. Lady Ornelia would choose to retire and live out the rest of her days in the village she helped save, peacefully passing on alongside Jin nearly 80 years before the events of Aegis War.

    Despite possessing an history of belligerent rulers, the last King of Torna would be known as a wise and progressive ruler that saw valor in cooperation with other nations. His lineage would leave an immense impact on the history of Alrest. His affair with a non-Tornan woman would produce Addam Origo, the hero of the people. His brother Zettar would play a crucial role in the founding of the Tantalese royal dynasty.

35. #35Aegis War and Fall of Torna, Major Spoilers

    Jin's Core Crystal would be stolen from the royal family of Torna by lowlife, Gort, to be sold later. However, Jin, the powerful Ice Blade, was instead awakened by a young girl, Lora. Upon protecting the girl, slicing the arm of the thief determined to kill Lora to erase Jin again, the Paragon of Torna pledged his protection to the girl. On the run, they were each other's guiding lights.

    In the year 3564, The 107th Praetor Rhadallis sent an armed expedition to the Coeian Titan. The capital Omrantha and the rest of the Titan sank beneath the Cloud Sea. The act was attributed to an alliance between the Indoline Praetorium and the Empire of Mor Ardain, while in actuality, it was the work of Malos, one of the Aegises, who used his Siren Artifice to do the deed. Various other small scale battles between Malos and opposing forces also occurred on Genbu and Temperantia. At some point during the war, Judicium was wiped out. Quaestor Amalthus, the Driver of Malos, found that he could not control his own Blade, the Aegis. So, he gave its twin, an emerald to oppose Malos' amethyst, to someone of worthy heart, who could stop Malos. That person would be Addam Origo, heir of Torna, who awakened the second Aegis after High Prince Zettar failed to resonate with the Core Crystal. And from that core, a Blade of light was born. The second Aegis, Mythra.

    Knighting her Driver at Uraya's Olethro Playhouse, she was the main force capable of stopping Malos. It is said that she and her Driver, Addam, were close, as if they were father and daughter, happy. However, Addam feared Mythra's great power, a lack of acceptance between them that lead to great tragedy.

    On the hunt for Malos, the prince and the Aegis would confront Lora and Jin. Recognising the Blade as stolen, a brief clash was all it took for him to determine Lora was a worthy Driver of Jin, and their partnership was good and true. Lora had another Blade, one named Haze, who she had a near perfect resonance with upon awakening her. Driver and Blade could be confused for sisters. Haze was not a mere pretty face though. The Wind Element Blade had the innate ability to suppress the Ether in beings, most notably, Blades and Titans.

    Joining them was a Flesh Eater originally resonated with Quasetor Amalthus, Minoth, alongside the Emperor of Mor Ardain, Hugo, and his faithful Blades, Brighid and Aegeon, all fighting to stop Malos from destroying all of Alrest by filling the Tornan Titan with so much energy (within his numerous Gargoyle Artifices) in its Core Crystal, that it would become an immense bomb destroying the world. They also acted as guardians for two children. Milton, rescued from a flooded village, and Mikhael, a youth sold from the Titan, Estham, to Torna's Porton Village, which was burned down and looted.

    Malos was defeated in the end. However, with a terrible cost. He destroyed Auresco, where Milton and Mikhael were left for safety. Mikhael survived. But Milton did not. The death of someone she cared deeply about caused Mythra to go into a bout of short term madness, dedicated to destroying Malos. In the process of sending Malos burning down with his Siren unit, she accidentally shattered Torna's Core Crystal, causing an explosion which took the life of Emperor Hugo, as he protected Addam and his friends. The Tornan Titan was sunk, an act that would be forever recorded in Mythra's mind and the history of Alrest. The anguish of the loss of so much life broke Mythra, the final straw being when she saw Milton's body, but was turned away from Mikhael in apathy. Her personality shut itself away, creating a new being, an Aegis of flame much less powerful, but who, in her eyes, was an improvement of every flaw she had. A preferable version of her. Pyra.

    Despite Pyra's more appealing personality, the decision was made to seal her, for Addam felt as if humanity wasn't ready to work with her power. He failed so badly after all. She was sent into a 500 year sleep, sealed away in Addam Origo's ship. Addam planned to have Leftheria become the new home for his followers, the scattered Tornans loyal to his beliefs in Blades, human and Titan equality, sending Lora and Jin to Spessia to relay the message for them to gather there. However, the Praetorium, particularly new Praetor Amalthus, had other plans. Having assassinated his opposition, and the previous Praetor, Rhadallis, it was time to cement his and the Praetorium's power over Alrest. With weaponised Titans, Indolese soldiers, Flesh Eaters, and the newly created, Blade Eaters, an attack was launched on Spessia out of a belief the second active Aegis was there. An Aegis which must be destroyed so no one could ever defy Indol. After Indol's attack on Spessia wipes out the militia stationed there, including Lora, Hero's Rest becomes the last bastion for the Addamite faction.

    Azurda was appointed by Addam to become a guardian to the village and the entrance to Elpys. Addam would live out the rest of his life peacefully alongside his wife and child. The Crucible would become his final resting place.

    Meanwhile, Haze would be taken back to Amalthus in her Core Crystal, no memories left. Praetor Amalthus desired her powers, powers that gave her control over all Blades and Titans. So, the Blade Eater procedure was performed on him, taking a piece of her Core to be placed on his forehead. The process stole Haze's lingering evolution of her identity. She had lost her name. And thus, she was reborn as Fan la Norne. Goddess of the Indoline Praetorium. Amalthus had become the Master Driver.

36. #36Torna - The Terror of the Modern Age, Spoilers

    In the time where Titans dying of old age became a true concern for the residents of Alrest, six people, all sharing Blade origins, had assembled to obtain the sealed Aegis, and to bring Alrest ruin for the horrible actions of Drivers and other people of Alrest against Blades.

    Jin had survived the attack on Spessia, now a wandering phantom, a Flesh Eater of near perfection. He had power over elementary particles, but no soul driving him forward, outside the promise to not forget his beloved Driver, Lora. Dead in all but body, it was in the rain, 500 years after Torna sunk, that someone reached out a hand in compassion towards the downtrodden Jin. Surprisingly, that hand belonged to Malos, the Aegis long thought destroyed. His Core Crystal severely damaged, but still alive, he recognised Jin's tortured soul, and pledged loyalty to him. He had been questioning his own desire for destruction, whether it was of his own will, or predetermined the moment he was resonated with. With Jin, he pledged a new, more refined goal. To reach Elysium, find the answers behind their turmoil and to kill the Architect, along with the rest of humanity. They secured a warship known as the Monoceros, which they use as their base, and an old Tornan warship, the Marsanes, both which function without need of a Titan.

    Jin stores Lora’s frozen body on board the Marsanes in memoriam of her wishes and why he commits to his path. Jin then recruits many Flesh Eaters and Blade Eaters for the organisation. He frees Akhos and Patroka from a Tantalese ship headed to Indol, and at some point after Amalthus began executing his Blade Eaters experiments, he found Mikhail, who escaped. Lastly, he saves the daughter of the Lord of Echell from being executed by the Praetorium. All four of them join the organization. Akhos works as the brains of Torna, Mikhail as the engineer, Patroka as a general fighter, the lord's daughter as a healer. Meanwhile, Malos acts as the subservient second in command to Jin, leader of Torna, who wishes to punish humanity for its usage of Blades, and the inability for Blades to have a culture and memory of their own. The ultimate aim of this organisation is to obtain the other Aegis for Malos and then ascend the World Tree to ultimately destroy Alrest.

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