((This is going to be my first real attempt at a full game, after spending some time getting used to rxmp, so custom content will likely be lacking, and my completion time will likely be longer than most. I will keep this post updated as the game progresses with screenshots and concept items.))
The World of Jaia
Story
Jaia has existed for millions of years, and it is a world with many tales.. This is only one of those. Within this world humankind is still young, and struggling to keep its survival in a land where war has raged for as far back as any mortal can remember.
The war is not fought by man, merely mankind is caught within it, and as a race have been fighting only for thier own survival at the center of an everlasting crossfire. The war, which man once named, but has sence forgotten, is fought between the very living ideals of good and evil, of purity and corruption.
The forces of good are known as the Saphrim, an angelic race who's origins are known only to themselves. For all accounts they are the emodiment of all that which serves to better the existance of Jaia and those that inhabit it. They are looked at as living Gods, immortal and powerful.. But they are very few, some say even less than the small population of mankind itsself.
The army of evil are called the Kahldesh, hideous, snarling demons who gain thier strength and numbers through corruption and the pain of others. They are creatures of hate, and to them hate is a religion. In the belief of the Kahldesh, hate and envy are the qualities which force a being to better itself, to find the inspiration needed to be stronger, faster, and destroy those who return that hate and would seek to kill them.
While the Kahldesh run rampent over the lands, the stronger slaughtering the weak and forcing the remnants of those races to the far flung corners of the globe, the Saphrim rarely make themselves known. Where they originate from is unknown, but the only time they are known to be see is in the most scarred, desolite lands of Jaia, long after thier foes have left these places barren and empty the Saphrim can sometimes be seen, by those men brave enough to venture out so far, blessing the land with thier holy magics, regrowing trees, fields and creating streams to make the land habitable once more.
Mankind see's little aid in thier fight for survival from the Saphrim, the reasons why are still a mystery to men, but none the less chapels and prayer mounds can be found throughout the scattered villages of Jaia. Fortified behind the strongest walls, both magical and physical that mankind can create with its limited advancement and resources, human men and women hide themselves from the damage and destruction around them.
But, for mankind to survive it must expand, new walls must be built to house the population, new fields must be planted to feed them, and mines, ore and the basic materials needed to run a village must be sought and held at all costs.
There are men and women within every village who know this, and many of them spend a lifetime training in weapon skills, spellcraft, and all the skills of battle to be ready to go out into the forbidden lands beyond the walls and make them safe for those who would gather, build and reap the resources to keep the population thriving as best as it can.
These warrior men and women are known as Defenders, and now, in the World of Jaia, we find the story of three such people.
Characters (because of how I plan to create the branching story, actual player character will not be as deep as other games, you will see why. Character pictures and screenshots will be added later.)
Talin: When Talin, like most within his village has never seen outside its walls. When he was young it was obvious that he would grow to be a strong, healthy and active man. For this reason, at age 8 he was given a training sword, and was made to practice daily, sometimes for hours on techniques and skills needed to be an adept swordsman. For most of his life he saw it as a game, a bit of sport and a way to show off to some of the cuter girls around the village. Now, though, as he comes of age and prepares for his first venture into the wilderness, he starts to wish he had taken it more seriously.
Kyria: Kyria, as a young girl proved to be a cunning agile child, at play she would often challenge others, even those much older than her to footraces and acrobatic contests, and not once did she ever lose. She was given a bow at a young age, and became quite skilled with it after only a few years. She acts bold, outgoing and often seems to have no fear of anything, but when tensions run high even she cant always hide her true emotions.
Pencot: The pride of many of the village's elders, Pencot is well known for his intelligence and problem solving abilities. Even through his training as a spellcrafter, he gained a great deal of recognition for his technological and engineering designs that are now common use through his village.
GAMEPLAY
World of Jaia is a brutal land, marked mostly by desolate and barren wastes that have been ravaged by the Kahldesh. The only way for warriors to survive outside of village walls is to adapt.
World of Jaia will feature a robust branching class system, offering many choises throughout the the life of our three protagonists as they fight, not only to survive, but to steel themselves against the corruption and temptation that the Kahldesh thrive apon. Magic in Jaia is based, almost exclusivley, from the remnant energy left behind in the wake of powerful Saphrim and Kahldesh. Men and women who are trained and focused enough are able to meld and form this energy to thier will, but such can come with a cost.
Magics of destruction and offensive caste are often products of Kahldesh energies, where as those which heal the injured and bring life to the land spawn from the forces of Saphrim will. Due to this, there are points in every adventurers life where they must choose a path, to accept the frightening and deadly powers that Kahldesh energy offers, to purify themselves in the sanctity of the Saphrim spirit, or to remain neutral of the two, and strengthen themselves through thier own training and practise.
These choises pave the roads for the rest of these adventurers lives, how they are viewed by others and influences the choises they will make in the future, and through that, the options of the three paths will inebeitably form the shape of thier future.
In Jaia, when a character reaches specific levels they will be given a choise as to thier next class, the choises will be between goodly, neutral and evil classes, always different depending on what class they are at that point.
Ex: a mage, at lv 5 can become a white mage, summoner, or black mage. At lv 10 the black mage will be given a choise of Battlemage, Warlock, or Anarchist. Where the White mage would receive the choise of Divinity Mage, Archon, or Battlemage. Thus the class of battlemage, being white's "evil" choise, and black's "good" choise serve as a neutral ground where the character could, if the player chooses, cross over to the other side.
At points throughout the game, what class certain characters are, or how good or evil overall the party is will effect the storyline drasticly. For example, if at level 8 your party consisted of a Paladin, a Bard (rogue's starting "good class) and a white mage, and continue on those paths than World of Jaia could become a cliche 'save the world' type storyline, whereas a Shadowknight, Assassin, and Black Mage may well end up turning on those within thier village at a moments notice, or dozens of other dark and wicked things. Just imagine the conflict which could take place when the player makes one character a Paladin and the other a Black Mage.. (*Dun dun dun*)
The World of Jaia
Story
Jaia has existed for millions of years, and it is a world with many tales.. This is only one of those. Within this world humankind is still young, and struggling to keep its survival in a land where war has raged for as far back as any mortal can remember.
The war is not fought by man, merely mankind is caught within it, and as a race have been fighting only for thier own survival at the center of an everlasting crossfire. The war, which man once named, but has sence forgotten, is fought between the very living ideals of good and evil, of purity and corruption.
The forces of good are known as the Saphrim, an angelic race who's origins are known only to themselves. For all accounts they are the emodiment of all that which serves to better the existance of Jaia and those that inhabit it. They are looked at as living Gods, immortal and powerful.. But they are very few, some say even less than the small population of mankind itsself.
The army of evil are called the Kahldesh, hideous, snarling demons who gain thier strength and numbers through corruption and the pain of others. They are creatures of hate, and to them hate is a religion. In the belief of the Kahldesh, hate and envy are the qualities which force a being to better itself, to find the inspiration needed to be stronger, faster, and destroy those who return that hate and would seek to kill them.
While the Kahldesh run rampent over the lands, the stronger slaughtering the weak and forcing the remnants of those races to the far flung corners of the globe, the Saphrim rarely make themselves known. Where they originate from is unknown, but the only time they are known to be see is in the most scarred, desolite lands of Jaia, long after thier foes have left these places barren and empty the Saphrim can sometimes be seen, by those men brave enough to venture out so far, blessing the land with thier holy magics, regrowing trees, fields and creating streams to make the land habitable once more.
Mankind see's little aid in thier fight for survival from the Saphrim, the reasons why are still a mystery to men, but none the less chapels and prayer mounds can be found throughout the scattered villages of Jaia. Fortified behind the strongest walls, both magical and physical that mankind can create with its limited advancement and resources, human men and women hide themselves from the damage and destruction around them.
But, for mankind to survive it must expand, new walls must be built to house the population, new fields must be planted to feed them, and mines, ore and the basic materials needed to run a village must be sought and held at all costs.
There are men and women within every village who know this, and many of them spend a lifetime training in weapon skills, spellcraft, and all the skills of battle to be ready to go out into the forbidden lands beyond the walls and make them safe for those who would gather, build and reap the resources to keep the population thriving as best as it can.
These warrior men and women are known as Defenders, and now, in the World of Jaia, we find the story of three such people.
Characters (because of how I plan to create the branching story, actual player character will not be as deep as other games, you will see why. Character pictures and screenshots will be added later.)
Talin: When Talin, like most within his village has never seen outside its walls. When he was young it was obvious that he would grow to be a strong, healthy and active man. For this reason, at age 8 he was given a training sword, and was made to practice daily, sometimes for hours on techniques and skills needed to be an adept swordsman. For most of his life he saw it as a game, a bit of sport and a way to show off to some of the cuter girls around the village. Now, though, as he comes of age and prepares for his first venture into the wilderness, he starts to wish he had taken it more seriously.
Kyria: Kyria, as a young girl proved to be a cunning agile child, at play she would often challenge others, even those much older than her to footraces and acrobatic contests, and not once did she ever lose. She was given a bow at a young age, and became quite skilled with it after only a few years. She acts bold, outgoing and often seems to have no fear of anything, but when tensions run high even she cant always hide her true emotions.
Pencot: The pride of many of the village's elders, Pencot is well known for his intelligence and problem solving abilities. Even through his training as a spellcrafter, he gained a great deal of recognition for his technological and engineering designs that are now common use through his village.
GAMEPLAY
World of Jaia is a brutal land, marked mostly by desolate and barren wastes that have been ravaged by the Kahldesh. The only way for warriors to survive outside of village walls is to adapt.
World of Jaia will feature a robust branching class system, offering many choises throughout the the life of our three protagonists as they fight, not only to survive, but to steel themselves against the corruption and temptation that the Kahldesh thrive apon. Magic in Jaia is based, almost exclusivley, from the remnant energy left behind in the wake of powerful Saphrim and Kahldesh. Men and women who are trained and focused enough are able to meld and form this energy to thier will, but such can come with a cost.
Magics of destruction and offensive caste are often products of Kahldesh energies, where as those which heal the injured and bring life to the land spawn from the forces of Saphrim will. Due to this, there are points in every adventurers life where they must choose a path, to accept the frightening and deadly powers that Kahldesh energy offers, to purify themselves in the sanctity of the Saphrim spirit, or to remain neutral of the two, and strengthen themselves through thier own training and practise.
These choises pave the roads for the rest of these adventurers lives, how they are viewed by others and influences the choises they will make in the future, and through that, the options of the three paths will inebeitably form the shape of thier future.
In Jaia, when a character reaches specific levels they will be given a choise as to thier next class, the choises will be between goodly, neutral and evil classes, always different depending on what class they are at that point.
Ex: a mage, at lv 5 can become a white mage, summoner, or black mage. At lv 10 the black mage will be given a choise of Battlemage, Warlock, or Anarchist. Where the White mage would receive the choise of Divinity Mage, Archon, or Battlemage. Thus the class of battlemage, being white's "evil" choise, and black's "good" choise serve as a neutral ground where the character could, if the player chooses, cross over to the other side.
At points throughout the game, what class certain characters are, or how good or evil overall the party is will effect the storyline drasticly. For example, if at level 8 your party consisted of a Paladin, a Bard (rogue's starting "good class) and a white mage, and continue on those paths than World of Jaia could become a cliche 'save the world' type storyline, whereas a Shadowknight, Assassin, and Black Mage may well end up turning on those within thier village at a moments notice, or dozens of other dark and wicked things. Just imagine the conflict which could take place when the player makes one character a Paladin and the other a Black Mage.. (*Dun dun dun*)