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Design Doc: Northern Janost Forest

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Developer Journals 0

First Main Plot: Return the Glory

Janost Forest, one of the ancient forests in Taborea, is the birthplace of various types of beast men. Because their blood is black, the forest is also known as “Black Blood Forest.” Many types of beast men inhabit the forest, each different in development and appearance. The most powerful are the famous Leonines of Angren. While their numbers and size aren’t that outstanding, their battle skills certainly are the greatest of all the beast men. Legend has it that only the Canines of Limon are powerful enough to match them. Because of this, the Angren naturally became the leaders of the beast men of Janost Forest.

Now, these powerful warriors of the forest are facing two crises. The first is a strong enemy to the north, the Degenerated Elves of Jyr’na, who are sucking the life force out of all of the forest plants. The second is an invasion on the Temple of Raksha, the tutelary deity of the Angren. Players must assist Callaway Kalume, King of the Humans, to resolve these problems, and bring everyone together to defeat a yet unknown evil.

Second Main Plot: Envoy of the Dragons

Morrok Wallinder returns after reporting to the Queen of the Earth Dragons, bringing back news of her troubles. In ages past, a race of Demons used the Dragons’ powers to enhance their own abilities. Recently discovered Dragon half-breeds of unknown origin are proof of these powers re-surfacing; hence the Queen has ordered that they be found at all costs. However this search has led to a great number of complications, not only has it resulted in a war between two principalities, but also led to the discovery that mysterious organizations are involved.

Inscriptions have been found in the Ruins of Bymorsh that corroborate the intelligence that Morrok returned with, making one wonder what kind of people left behind these thousand-year old traces. The Ruins had previously been excavated, probably by excavation teams commissioned by the mysterious conspirators. If they were to wield the power of the Dragons, the world would be plunged into an unending nightmare.

Fate seems to be mocking the few Dragon half-breeds that have appeared thus far, bringing them together in a time of great division. They seem destined to experience both the joy of discovery and the pain of separation, and they are only at the start of their journey…

First Epic Quest: The Degenerated Elves

After the Great Banishment, some of the Elves led by the Elven King Antaikolon remained in the Green Tower in Candara. They continued training and continuously channeled the power of nature into the Great Barrier. The other Elves followed the human King Kalume to Zandorya.

These Elves were led by Princess Eliyar. After Antaikolon’s strength was exhausted and he had sacrificed himself to complete the seal of the Great Barrier, Eliyar worried that the survivors left behind in the Green Tower wouldn’t be able to maintain the seal and hold off the Naga’s invasion forever. So, upon arriving in Zandorya, she wanted to find a richer source of natural power. Antaikolon’s demise weighed heavily on Eliyar’s heart, and she began to desire power. When she arrived in Janost Forest Eliyar realized that an exceptionally rich source of natural power emanated from the ancient forest’s northern region. However, unlike the power of nature at the Green Tower, this power came from a powerful rune buried underground.

Eliyar had a sense that this power of nature was not quite right, and decided to stay with the Elves to investigate further and prevent anyone else from using it for evil purposes. However, what Eliyar didn’t realize was that in addition to magnifying the power of nature, this forbidden rune also caused all the Elves who came into contact with it to go crazy and lose their respect for nature. Eliyar’s objective changed from using power to restore nature to studying the use of power, and she began to study forbidden magic. Then, with the help of Nax the Holy Tree, she sucked the life force from all plants in the area and enriched the power of nature in the Elves’ residence. These Elves later became known as the Elves of Jyr’na, and remained in Jyr’nathon Forest in Zandorya.

Before the Jyr’na Elves went mad, they co-existed peacefully with the nature-loving Angren, but as they started to research forbidden magic, the Jyr’na Elves were overcome with an endless lust for power. The changes to the plants of Janost Forest affected the habitat of the Angren, and a war broke out making Dimstar Swamp their battlefield. However, whenever the Jyr’na Elves leave the forbidden rune and Jyr’nathon Forest, they become weaker. Also, the Angren have sharp Leonine instincts and are naturally alert to the great power of the forbidden rune. Thus, neither side is willing to launch an all-out attack, and they only occasionally come into conflict in Dimstar Swamp.

It wasn’t until the Elven King Antaikolon appeared that a ray of hope for resolving this conflict was visible. The Elves believed Antaikolon to be long dead, but he had actually been sleeping in the Hero’s Tomb for millennia past. When he awakes, rescuing Princess Eliyar and his people will be his most difficult quest…