Invokers: Ascension

Characters and Lore

Prince Brovos

Brovos is the prince of the majestic islands of Landoran and is the most likely contender for the throne. He is a skilled army commander and is proficient in all forms of hand-to-hand combat. Brovos is kind and gentle but decisive in battle. He values diplomacy over victory in battle. He seldom resorts to violence, but when the need arises, his skill is unparalleled.

Want

Prince Brovos has a peaceful nature. He wants the leader of the Landoran Island to rule with a similar perspective. Growing up, he has seen his mother treat her subordinates and people with fear and intimidation. He wishes to change that pattern. However, his mother has ruled for decades, and her disbelief in his ideals makes him question himself.

Need

Prince Brovos needs to understand that his ideals are perfect as they are. Despite his mother’s feedback, they need not be altered. The Landoran Island needs a just and peaceful leader. He is the best person for that job.

Internal Conflict

The nature of warfare is violent, and his mother has always preached that. Brovos seldom sees his ideals bear fruit in matters of consequence. For this reason, he starts to doubt his diplomatic and peaceful approach to issues.

External Conflict

The Army of the Seas of Neemar and Komi’s unit.

Change in Character

By the end of the story, Brovos learns to have faith in his beliefs. A diplomatic and peaceful solution to one’s nation and his neighbors is the right way to go. It takes time, but it works out in the long run.

Impact

Brovos becomes the King of Landoran Islands, and his diplomatic approach leaves a lasting impact. An era of peace and tranquility is achieved.

Princess Athera

Athera is the Princess of the mythical seas of Neemar and heir to the throne. Her mother is the Queen and because of her family, she is next in line to be the ruler of the seas. She has little combat experience, but she can talk to wild creatures and animals. Spending most of her life with her mother, she wants to live up to her expectations as a strong and powerful leader for her nation.

Want

Princess Athera wants to explore the outside world, but she also wants to make her mother proud. She becomes the Queen because it is her birthright.

Need

Princess Athera needs to understand that she must become the Queen, not for her mother or to live up to the family name, but to help the kingdom. The Seas of Neemar have been secluded by the outdated ideologies of her family long enough. She needs to outgrow her family status and become recognizable on her own.

Internal Conflict

Should she obey what her mother and council have said or follow her instincts?

External Conflict

The Landorans and Komi’s unit.

Change in Character

Princess Athera becomes the Queen once again not because of her family name but because of her approach to venture outside the seas. She understands that she must take action on her own. Success or failure, she must be willing to bear the consequences or reap the rewards.

Impact

Her impact changes the beliefs of the people of Neemar. They were people advanced in Science and Technology that had lost their sense of innovation because they remained secluded in the sea.

The Poetic Irony between Prince Brovos and Princess Athera

The Landoran Islands elect a king/Queen after every two years. The strongest warrior becomes the rightful leader. Contrary to this, the power of the ruler Seas of Neemar remains within the royal family. While the Landoran Islands leadership system emphasizes physical prowess, it undermines the value of visionary leadership. Something that was apparent when Queen Lora held onto the throne far beyond her reign. The Seas of Neemar restricts power only to the royal family, thus enforcing one and only one ideology for the kingdom. There is little space for innovation in the matter.

Prince Brovos does not have any right to the throne, yet he is the ideal candidate. He believes himself unworthy to take over.

Princess Athera is the rightful heir to the throne, yet she is too immature and young to be a leader. She believes that her family’s bloodline can open any doors for her. She has not yet fully understood that her actions can have consequences.

In time, Prince Brovos understands that as a responsible Landoran, he must ensure that the best leader takes over the throne, even if that is himself. He should be willing to step aside if a better candidate presents themself.

In time, Princess Athera understands that to be the Queen, she must be decisive. Her actions can bear consequences, and she cannot rely on her family name to rectify those losses. She must own up to her mistakes. If she is to be the Queen, she should do so not because of her heritage but because of her actions. She must be willing to guide her nation through dark times, owning up to all the potential hardships that may come.

In short, Prince Brovos does not want to become King because of his family, yet he realizes he must become the King because of his ideals. Princess Athera wants to become Queen because of her family, yet she realizes she must become the Queen because of her ideals and not her heritage.

Queen Thea

She is the Queen of the mythical seas of Neemar. A just but stubborn ruler, Thea’s reign as Queen was known for her lax and carefree approach to the Landorians. She chose not to interfere with the matters of the land and also strictly forbade anyone to venture over there. The seas of Neemar were thus secluded from the advancements of the land.

Queen Lora

She is the Queen of the Landoran Islands. She was a strong and steadfast ruler in her time, however, she has grown old and cowardly as time progressed. Her lust for power has increased with age, and she is hellbent on keeping her throne at all costs, even from her own son. Her council consists of strong and powerful men, so to stay on top and keep her dominance, she often resorts to underhanded tactics and cowardly maneuvers.

Komi

He is the main antagonist of the story. He was a man of unknown origin whose ship drowned in a storm. He reached the bottom of the ocean, where he was saved by Queen Thea (who was the Princess at the time). The two fell in love with each other. However, when she found out that he was from the surface, she knew their love would be forbidden. Fearing the consequences, she banished him from the seas of Neemar.

Komi then escaped to the islands of Landoran, where he met Queen Lora. He warned her of the people under the seas and how their civilization was far more advanced than what they had on the island. Queen Lora took offense to the matter. Fearing the foreigner, she attempted to have him executed.

Barely escaping Queen Lora’s wrath, Komi, with a group of followers from the island and the seas, built his base underground. He has been active since then.

Komi’s goal is to unite the two nations. But to do that, he needs to rid both nations of their respective rulers. He sees the flaws of both ideologies and takes down both of their rulers. As time progresses, he tests the mantle of the next generation (Athera and Brovos).

Landoran Islands

It is the land upon which Queen Lora and her nation reside. Their civilization specializes in weaponry, combat, and war. There are also various regions on the islands that sometimes rebel against Queen Lora.

Seas of Neemar

They are the seas that surround the Landoran Islands, ruled by Queen Thea. Their civilization specializes in Science and Technology.

Landorian

Someone who lives in the Landoran Islands

Neemran

Someone who lives in the seas of Neemar

King/Queen of Landoran Islands

The King or the Queen of the Landoran Islands is the strongest, toughest, and most resilient soldier on the island. The people of the lands proclaim their leader unanimously by tournaments and battles.

Queen Lora was a fierce and deadly fighter who rose to the top and became Queen after she was undefeated in combat and war tactics. However, as she grew old, she could no longer hold the title of being undefeated. After a certain event, she stopped partaking in physical combat herself, proclaiming that any opponent was unworthy of her efforts. In truth, she hid her weakness and used this as an excuse to hold on to the throne. Whenever training her son, she would use underhanded tactics to gain the upper hand as proving her dominance was necessary among her peers.

Prince Brovos is undoubtedly the most competent fighter on the island. He has been trained to take his mother’s throne since he was a child. However, his overprotective mother still believes he is too soft to take her place.

King/Queen of the Seas of Neemar

The King or Queen of the Seas of Neemar is decided by the succession of the Royal Family. Queen Thea took her rightful place from her parents and intends to pass on her position to Princess Athera. The system of appointing leaders only in the royal family has kept the residents of Neemar firmly believing in the ideologies of the royal family.

Outsiders are not welcome, and no one is allowed to venture to the surface either. This keeps the civilization of Neemar ignorant of the events of the rest of the world.

Theme, Setting & Plot

Theme

The Theme of the game is to be yourself. Both the main characters are assigned roles based on their cultures and families, yet both have a journey that allows them to transcend these roles.

For Princess Athera, she gets to become the Queen of Neemar not because of her heritage but in spite of her heritage.

For Prince Brovos, he becomes the King of Landoran because of the reaffirmed faith he has in his ideology, despite his mother’s death.

Setting

There are three main settings in the game. Three locations, to be specific. The Island of Landoran, the seas of Neemar, and the Underground City.

The islands have a dusty, hot climate, with the civilization having a strong emphasis on warfare.

The seas have a high-tech underwater setting, with the civilization having a strong emphasis on Science and Technology rather than the military.

The Underground City is a mixture of both settings.

Plot

Chapter 1 — There’s a Storm Coming

For thousands of years, the people on the land and the creatures under the sea have lived together in harmony. A sudden turn of events upsets the balance. The Landorians and Neemrans have never gotten along, but both nations understood the value of peace. They never crossed the line until now.

Princess Athera lives in the seas of Neemar with her mother, Queen Thea. She is the Princess of Neemar and heir to the throne. Queen Thea keeps Princess Athera in her chambers, strictly guarded by her council and personal representatives. Princess Athera barely knows any of her people and does not understand how a kingdom is ruled. Yet, she has been taught by her mother that she is the rightful heir to the throne. The mantle of Queen is her birthright, and she will inherit it in due time.

Most of what she knows about the world has been described to her by her mother, that too in an exaggerated manner.

One night, a strange man sneaks into her chambers looking for the Queen. He meets the Princess. He tells her that he ventured out of the sea and went to the Landoran Islands. Having caught wind of their plans, he explains that they intend to expand their civilization and take over the seas.

Princess Athera takes the man to the Queen, hoping this important matter to be properly addressed. She doesn’t tell anyone about what the man told her. She had always been curious to learn about the outside world, even though her mother had filled her mind with made-up stories of its violent nature.

It is forbidden for any resident of Neemar to venture out of the sea. Queen Thea denounced the wanderer and had him executed before even listening to what he had to say. She sternly asked Princess Athera if the man talked to her, to which she lied that she hadn’t. She feared her mother’s wrath. The very next day, the Queen was found dead in her bed.

Now Princess Athera has to take over and become the new Queen of Neemar in her place. She is young, beautiful, and intelligent. However, she has been overprotected and misinformed most of her life. The council of leaders naturally resent her ascension to the throne. They would hate anyone taking over the throne since that is a right accessible only to the royal family. They propose that Queen Thea be buried with respect and her wishes be honored. The nation of Neemar should continue to exist as they have for centuries and not venture outside.

However, Queen Athera believes that this is the doing of the surface dwellers, the people that the wanderer warned her about. She can’t tell anyone that she had talked to the wanderer, but her instincts tell her that he was right. She wants to avenge her mother’s death. She goes against all of the council’s advice and decides to retaliate against the people on Landoran. They launch a full-scale attack on the surface.

Chapter 2 — Diplomacy or Death

The story then switches to the Landoran Islands. Brovos is training with his soldiers. He outclasses all of them and wins gracefully and honorably. His mother seems unimpressed. She sends a few of her personal guards to spar with him. At first, he has them beat, but later, he is bested as the men use underhanded tactics.

His mother, Queen Lora, tells him that he still has much to learn in warfare. The two have clashing ideals. She believes that he is not worthy of her throne unless he changes his ways, much to the disagreement of her council of ministers. Queen Lora knows the world is cruel and unrelenting. Hence, every advantage must be taken to gain the upper hand in battle. Brovos has a softer approach to combat and believes diplomacy triumphs victory in a battle. He believes that if you treat your enemies with honor and respect, in time, they will redeem themselves and become allies. He is adamant about showing his mother that his approach is applicable.

Brovos embarks on a mission to take over a region of the Landoran Islands that has been retaliating. Queen Lora ruled the Landoran Islands through fear. A tactic that her son believed would not be long-lasting or reliable. He believes that a leader should rule by having trust and compassion for his people.

When deciding to undertake the mission, her mother suggests displaying relentless brutality as a testament to their dominance. She wants to make an example of the small nation that stood against them. She believes that if they show their raw strength, the rest of the regions would never stand up against them. Brovos has a different idea.

Brovos embarks on the journey and decides to seek out diplomatic solutions. Without telling anyone back home, he negotiates with the region, saying he would accept their rightful demands and sign a treaty to ensure peace. The nation initially rejects this diplomatic approach. They find it hard to believe that the representative of the ruthless Queen Lora is willing to negotiate peacefully. After Brovos assures them that there are no strings attached, the nation agrees. This extends the mission a lot longer than initially expected, but the outcome yields no casualties whatsoever. Brovos happily comes back to the island only to find that it is being attacked by Queen Athera, ruler of the seas of Neemar.

Brovos deploys his army, which is well-trained in combat. They fend off the invaders and give them a taste of defeat. However, the damage has been done. Queen Lora died in battle.

Brovos blames himself for his mother’s death. If he had done as her mother suggested, he would’ve returned home earlier and prevented her death. The Neemran Army was pitiful in comparison to Landorans, yet it did the unthinkable. Even though they barely made it past the first defense, Queen Lora was assassinated. Brovos’ mission took longer than intended, and he could not make it in time to save his mother. He starts to doubt his diplomatic beliefs and vows to avenge his mother’s killer.

After a thorough discussion with his councilmen, Brovos believes that he is not ready for the throne. His mother never believed in him, and his ideals cost him her life.

Chapter 3 — The Truth Speaks for Itself

A letter arrives a few days later claiming that the Neemran Army will return with tenfold soldiers. The Landoran Islands have still not appointed a new King. The council of Landoran Islands believes it unwise to attack the sea since they will venture into uncharted territory. They choose to reinforce their defenses and wait for the attack. However, nothing happens. Brovos decides to lead a stealth mission into the sea.

Back at Neemar, Queen Athera is heavily criticized for leading an attack on land. Her army was insufficient to deal with the Landoran soldiers and got decimated. The council advises all of her decisions, but Queen Athera is desperate to get her respect back.

When she hears that King Brovos has ventured to Neemar, she immediately takes him into custody. Expecting this to be an attack or scheme of some sort, Queen Athera tortures him for days, hoping that he would reveal the truth, but he doesn’t. Desperate to prove her competence in front of her council, she continues her efforts even though they want nothing to do with the surface dwellers. Brovos becomes incapacitated, and she feels ashamed for her wrong assessment.

Decades of pent-up frustration against the royal family finally make the council decide to oppose the Queen. They suggest that the new Queen is too young and immature to lead the nation of Neemar. In her short reign, she has caused more damage than any queen before her. They take away her rights to be the Queen until she grows older and wiser. They imprison Brovos and send Athera to her chambers.

Later that day, Athera escapes Neemar with Brovos. Knowing nowhere else to go, she decides to take him back to the island and apologize to the Landorians for keeping him.

As she is on her way, she is attacked by a group of enemies and captured. Brovos and Athera find themselves chained together with their fates intertwined in a dangerous dungeon. They meet a man who introduces himself as Komi.

He tells the two that he has brought them here to destroy the two nations. Since both of the nations were in a vulnerable state, he captured their leaders. He mockingly encourages the two to try their best to escape since their nations will be depending on them. He says he will be launching an attack on both of them.

When the two ask Komi what he wants, he tells them that he wants to fix their ancestor’s mistakes. He then abruptly leaves.

Chapter 4 — The Fear of Uncertainty

A flashback sequence takes place detailing Komi’s story. Komi was a young sailor with a strong sense of adventure. He was determined to sail to every corner of the world and explore uncharted areas. One night, a powerful storm causes his ship to crash on some islands. Komi starts to drown underwater but is saved by a beautiful young woman, Thea. Thea doesn’t know much about her kingdom, let alone the outside world. Her mother has fed her with lies, making it easier for her to stay away from people.

Thea desperately seeks companionship, and Komi becomes her friend after she saves his life. She keeps him in her chambers, secret from her mother. She fears she would take him away. The two fall in love. However, she later finds out that Komi has never visited the Seas of Neemar. In fact, he was born on the surface.

Thea realizes that all of the previous disobediences pale in comparison to this one. No resident of Neemar is allowed to interact with an outsider, and it is forbidden to go outside as well, let alone bring an intruder. Fearing the consequences, she banishes Komi from the Seas of Neemar. Komi escapes custody. He needs to find his ship, so he traces it back to the Landoran Islands.

On the Landoran Islands, a young woman, Lora, is ascending the contenders for the throne. In a contest of men, she overpowers all of them with her firm resolve and unparalleled technique in battle. The men underestimate her because of her gender and frail appearance, and she uses this to her advantage. Notorious for her ruthless style, she takes down her opponents by any means necessary, reaching the top with ease. She is crowned as the very first queen of the Landoran Islands.

Before long, Komi reaches the island and interacts with the Landorian people. Astounded by their prowess in warfare, he is equally fascinated by how archaic their advancements in science and technology are. He requests to speak to their leader, Queen Lora.

He tells her of his adventures in the sea and how their society is far more advanced than the Landoran Islands. Queen Lora is both offended and afraid of his claims. Fearing the foreigner and wanting to establish her dominance as the new Queen, she commands to have him executed.

Komi anticipates this outcome and escapes beforehand. He takes a few men and women from both civilizations and goes underground.

Chapter 5

Prince Brovos and Princess Athera spend time with each other. They both blame the other for starting the war. Prince Brovos helps them escape from their cell, and the two begin to make their way out of the dungeon. However, neither of them wants to work with each other, and they get caught. They end up in a reinforced prison with tighter security.

The two realize that to escape and save either of their people, they need to work together. They both understand that they want peace for their respective nations.

Athera wants her nation to break out of its bubble and venture outside. She now understands that she cannot become the Queen because of her namesake but because of her actions. She needs to show the people that life out of the seas is peaceful. There is much to learn from the surface dwellers.

Athera protects the weakened Brovos from enemy attacks and all kinds of perils. Meanwhile, Brovos guides her as she lacks combat skills. Brovos realizes that the Queen who led an attack on Landoran, who imprisoned and tortured him for days, has now redeemed herself and is willing to fight beside him. His diplomatic approach actually worked, and the nation of Neemar would be willing to call a truce if she were the ruler. Rightfully so, she believes that the nation of Neemar would accept the outside world if a peaceful leader like Brovos were to lead the Landoran Islands.

The two figure out that the attacks on both of their nations had been orchestrated by an external force. They confront Komi. He reveals his backstory that he was a man exiled and executed from both of their nations. He sought to unite them by eliminating the ignorant leaders.

Brovos and Athera takedown Komi. When they reach their homelands, they realize that neither had been attacked. His ideology was never to destroy the two nations but to unite them and create an era of peace.

Postgame Chapter 6 — The Epilogue

Athera returns to the seas of Neemar. Naturally, the council has elected a new leader, and her right to the throne has been revoked. Athera understands that she can no longer claim to be their leader, and she must prove herself worthy of taking up the mantle again.

Her actions before her departure are considered treacherous. Hence she is imprisoned. Athera honorably accepts her punishment and owns up to her actions. The council and the new Queen continue to receive threats from Komi’s unit.

A significant portion of his unit is misguided by his ideology and believes Komi intended to destroy both nations. They threaten Neemar, who ignores their warnings. Then they launch an attack. Neemar is unequipped to deal with even a small-scale attack and is overwhelmed. At first, they attempt to out stall the enemy by reinforcing their defenses, but it doesn’t work out.

Finding no other option, they ask for Athera’s help, who is the only one with any interaction or experience with the outside world. Athera agrees to help them only if Neemar is willing to work with the outsiders. After a lot of hesitation, the council approves.

Meanwhile, Brovos returns to the Landoran Islands, where he is celebrated as the prodigal son returning. He is again granted the throne, which he accepts. However, there is still doubt in his mind if he is the right man for the job. Athera visits the Landoran Islands and asks for their help. The council of Landorians refuses to help Neemar. Realizing that Landorians would never help unless he takes over, Brovos commands the Landorian Army to visit the sea and help Neemarans.

They begrudgingly agree, and the Landorians venture to the sea to fend off Komi’s remaining unit. Thus, the Neemarans learn to coexist with Landorians in their time of need. They discover that Landorians aren’t the devils that their ancestors made them out to be. The Landorians also discover the scientific advancements of Neemar and agree to help them to progress as a society.

Thus the two nations learn to live together in peace and harmony.

MMORPG Mechanics

The story would fit in a massive online multiplayer role-playing game. Players will be playing as either the main characters or a member of the following armies:

• Prince Bravos’ army

• Queen Lora’s army

• Princess Athera’s unit

• Queen Thea’s unit

• Komi’s unit

In certain instances, the player can also play as Prince Brovos or Princess Athera. The player would go on quests completing objectives that would fit the above narrative and level up their abilities and stats.