Aveyond

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Aveyond
Developer(s)	Amaranth Games
Publisher(s)	Amaranth Games
Designer(s)	Amanda Fae (Fitch)
Engine	RMXP
Release date(s)	January 2006
Genre(s)	Computer role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single-Player Third-Person Top down View
Platform(s)	PC
Media	Downloadable from Internet, CD-ROM
System requirements	Game Size: 23MB Platform: Windows 98/Me/XP Processor: 300 MHz, higher, or equivalent Memory: 256 MB RAM or higher Video: DirectX 8.0 or higher
Input	Keyboard only, mouse not supported

Aveyond is an RPG game from Amaranth Games.

As a sequel to Ahriman's Prophecy, this game features a vast fantasy world to be explored by players. The game consists of multiple playable characters. Each character has unique defense abilities, weapon skills, and personalities. Throughout the game, you must battle with different creatures in order to gain experience to "level up" and collect money to purchase necessary or miscellaneous items. Aveyond is played in battle mode attacks which allow players to choose four of eight possible party members to fight the monsters that inhabit the lands. Unlike the prequel, Ahriman's Prophecy, Aveyond is not free and costs about $20 (USD) and is available for purchase on many game websites. There are also one-hour trial versions available.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Backstory 3 Druids 4 Daevas 5 Characters 6 Romances 7 Places 7.1 Eastern Isle 7.2 Northern Isle 7.3 Western Isle 7.4 Southern Isle 7.5 Mysten Far 7.6 Blasted Lands 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Plot

The demon known as Ahriman has managed to rise to power after it was believed that he had been defeated years ago. He has leveled all of the Arishta Isles, but his ultimate desire is to destroy the entire world. To do so, he summons his minions, the daevas, and sends them to capture the souls of the druids that protect the shrines of the World. The only one standing in his way of world destruction and annihilation is the long-lost prophetic child from the Kingdom of Thais, which he has sought to kill since his rising. In order to defeat Ahriman, the druids must come together to release the legendary Sword of Shadows, the only weapon capable of destroying him, from within the Sun Shrine. Talia Maurva, the Dreamer, who once fought Ahriman in Ahriman's Prophecy (see Druids below), calls Rhen Darzon, a fifteen-year-old girl from the small village of Clearwater, to save the druids and bring them back to the Sun Shrine in Aveyond. Along the way Rhen will discover secrets about her past and will have to make decisions that will determine the direction of her journey as well as her destiny, and the fate of the world.

[edit] Backstory

^[1]Sixteen years prior to Aveyond, the demon Ahriman destroyed the kingdom of Thais. During the final battle, Alicia Pendragon, queen of Thais, gave birth to a girl. At the birth, the queen's oracle pronounced a prophecy: the child would destroy Ahriman and save Thais if she reached adulthood. Tailor Darzon, a young but trusted general of Thais, offered to take the child to a safe place and raise her where Ahriman would not know to find her. As Thais, and the queen, fell to Ahriman, Tailor fled the kingdom with the child and escaped across the ocean to a land not yet influenced by Ahriman's dark grip. He almost didn't make it, but Talia, the Druid of Dreams (the main character of the prequel of Aveyond, Ahriman's Prophecy), saved their lives. Tailor settled in the small mountain village of Clearwater, became a shoemaker, married the village seamstress, and raised the child as his own.

When the game starts, it is sixteen years later, and Ahriman learns, quite by accident, that the child will destroy him, but he couldn't kill her or he will also be destroyed. Instead, he sends his minions to find her and turn her to his side, as the seer of the dark side, Indra, proclaimed. Luckily, Talia found the child first and gave her the priestess ring that started her quest to survive and ultimately destroy Ahriman.

[edit] Druids

In Aveyond, there are eight druids that watch over the World. Each lives in his or her own temple, all of which are scattered around the globe. The Oracle has the ability to communicate with each of the druids from the Sun Shrine in Aveyond, although Ahriman managed to block that communication by stealing the souls of the six druids, essentially freezing them in their own temples. All the druids are appointed by the Oracle and lead immortal lives, but the immortality will be revoked upon the resignation of duty.

The eight druids are:

• Talia the Dreamer, or the Guardian of Dreams

As the Dreamer, Talia lives eternally in Dreamworld - the entrance of which is guarded by her sister priestesses of Mysten Far - as the guardian of dreams, watching over the dreams of mortals, lest they became twisted and evil in their nightmares. It is said that if the Dreamer awakens, the world should fear. When Ahriman sent his daevas to take the souls of the druids, Talia, barely alive after the attack (the daeva Agas intend upon her destruction first and foremost - possibly because she was the reason of Ahriman's defeat years ago - thus triggering the prophecy above), leaves the Dreamworld for the waking world to warn the others. It is Talia who once fought Ahriman but failed in Ahriman's Prophecy and returns once more to find the Chosen One, Rhen, who can defeat Ahriman once and for all.

• Vohu Manah the Bard, or the Druid of Music

During the conversation with Vohu Manah after restoring the soul of the druid, Vohu Manah is actually written as Vata (who is Father Time).

• Rashu the Dark, or the Druid of Darkness

• Armaiti the Green, or the Druid of Agriculture

• Daena the Wise, or the Druid of Wisdom

• Eithera the Strong, or the Druid of Strength

Unbeknownst to many, even the Oracle, Eithera's temple is the entrance of the portal to the demon realm, where Ahriman lays in wait. Though the portal was sealed centuries ago and the key secreted, the daeva Agas was still able to open the demon portal, enabling the six other daevas to come through it.

• Vata or Father Time

The Rainbow Bridge that connects the Memory Caverns with the Time Shrine can only be activated by the Dreamer's Tear, which is presumably held by Talia the Dreamer (until Agas took over Dreamworld).

• Dameon the Sun Priest, or the Druid of Light

The only druid who was not attacked by Ahriman's forces when they took the other druids of the world, he has a painful history with his mother, Talia the Dreamer, as he blames her for the death of his father, the previous Sun Priest, who also turned to Ahriman, became more powerful than the other seven druids, and used the powers of the sun to serve the dark side. He could not accept that Talia must kill his father to save many others, choosing to believe instead that the seven druids were jealous of his father's power. In the end, however, his anger may be redeemed by love of the "deadly and beautiful" woman he was sent to destroy on the order of his new master.

[edit] Daevas

The daevas are the dark servants of Ahriman, banished and sealed in the demon realm when Talia defeated (but not destroyed) Ahriman. Ahriman reopened the portal to the demon realm somehow and gathered his daevas to attack the druids of the world before enslaving the world on the recommendation of Dameon the Sun Priest.

• Nanghaithya is the daeva who has Vohu Manah's soul. He can be found in Mt. Orion.
• Zarich is the daeva who has Rashnu's soul. He can be found in the Crypt Maze.
• Tawrich is the daeva who has Armaiti's soul. He can be found in the Black Bone Caves.
• Indra is the daeva who has Daena's soul. She can be found in the Ice Caverns. She is also the seer of the Dark Side.
• Saurva is the daeva who has Eithera's soul. She can be found in the Lamp Castle.
• Aesma is the daeva who has Vata's soul. He can be found in the Dark Caverns.
• Agas is the daeva who has the Dreamer's Tear. The first daeva to be reunited with Ahriman, he is given the task to destroy Talia, making the living vulnerable in their sleep, and also to eliminate Ahriman's primary opponent, since it was Talia who almost destroyed Ahriman all those years ago. He develops a deep mistrust of Dameon from the first, when Dameon offers his services to Ahriman. He can be found in the Dreamworld.

[edit] Characters

PLAYABLE:

• Rhen Darzon (or more accurately, Rhen Pendragon) is a girl who lives in the quiet village of Clearwater on the Western Isle. She was mistaken for the Priestess Talia and thus enslaved by the slave trader sent to sentence a life of slavery to Talia. She is found to have the powerful gift of Sword Singing (the ability to extract power, knowledge and spells from a sword of Power) by the Sword Singer envoy of Shadwood Academy. Unknown to her is that she is destined for great things, that her choices will make or break the future of the world.

• Lars Tenobar is a spoiled boy who wishes to become a Sorcerer, and who is very arrogant about his talent. He lives in Ghalarah in the Eastern Isle, a city where the slave trade is flourishing, as the son of a noblewoman, Mistress Rona Tenobar, and the cousin of the Empress of the Eastern Empire, Telin De'Baron. It is Lars's family who become Rhen's slave masters, and he takes every opportunity to make Rhen's life miserable. Later, however, he offers to join and help her in her quest to defeat Ahriman. He has great abilities in defensive, offensive, and status-chainging magic, and may be Rhen's most valuable ally and future friend, as he gradually changes his nasty ways during the journey alongside Rhen. His future goal is to become High Sorcerer of Shadwood Academy.

• Elinidana'ter'Lithir (or Elini) is a demon summoner from the South. She is from the noble house of Lithir de Aramati. She has three husbands but is looking for one more to bring back to Veldt, her home city (where women have many husbands to protect them from the harsh life), and may find such a man in Pirate John (see Romances). However, she wishes to venture into the Wildwoods only with those who are powerful enough to survive; therefore she will only join Rhen and Lars if they have graduated from Shadwood Academy. She specializes in summoning demons and can learn to summon the daevas if she is allowed to fight them. She can also be quite deadly with a whip.

• Dameon Maurva is the son of Talia Maurva, but is also Ahriman's newest ally in his quest for revenge and power. He is sent by Ahriman to stop Rhen and convince her to join the daevas. But, as he helps her, he finds himself falling in love with her (see Romances) and must ultimately decide where his loyalties lie. Dameon is a defense-type character with a variety of healing and status-altering spells, as well as the ability to create magical shields. It is interesting to note that, even though Dameon is supposedly on Ahriman's side, he is not evil, as dragons cannot stand being near evil.

• Te'ijal is a vampress. She’s also an archer, although she wields rapiers just as well. She has an unhealthy fascination for the living, and an even more unhealthy and morbid sense of humor. The vampress is a very good attacker : all she needs is an elven rapier coupled with the Soul Pendant.

• Pirate John is a pirate from the Veniara Islands who doubles as one of the last dragon riders. Amongst his other skills, he is deadly with a rapier. He's a bit of a womanizer and will flirt with all the females in your party (except Elini) if given the chance. He's in jail for piracy after running away from a Veldtonian woman wanting to make him her husband and "had to escape before her other husbands drag me to the altar". However, he may be broken out by Rhen and her friends when they are in need of a dragon rider. Like Dameon, he is not evil, even though Pirate John is a criminal, as dragons cannot stand being near evil. He's also observant, believing that there is more to Dameon than meets the eye.

• Galahad, the pure-hearted Paladin of Sedona may join Rhen and her party when the investigation of an assassination attempt made on the King of Sedona is completed. He believes that it is his duty to protect the "helpless damsel" that is Rhen, despite the fact that Rhen feels she is capable of defending herself, as he doesn't believe in magic. Unfortunately, Te'ijal develops a bit of an infatuation with Galahad, who wants nothing to do with a "creature of the night". He refuses to believe in the existence of magic, despite traveling with a Sword Singer, Sorcerer, Sun Priest, Demon Summoner, Vampire, and Dragon Rider, but manages to fight well enough on his own with his axes.

• Mad Marge is the bartender of the Veniara Inn. She's a mercenary only available for hire if Pirate John is in the party. She has a softer side, though, but only shows it when she is with Pirate John.

NON-PLAYABLE

• Talia Maurva was the main character in Ahriman's Prophecy. Talia and her friends had fought valiantly against Ahriman years ago, but were unsuccessful despite there efforts. In Aveyond she has advanced to become a Priestess of Mysten Far, as well as the Dreamer or the Guardian of Dreams, guarding Dreamworld. However, Ahriman’s return, and a failed attempt by one of his servant, the daeva Agas, to assinate Talia, forces her out of the dream realm. She urgently summons Rhen, the daughter of her old friend, to save her and to help stop Ahriman’s and the daevas' evil plans. During Rhen's quest, Talia will protect and guide Rhen, and also give the young Sword Singer information about her past. Talia is also Dameon’s mother, but their relationship is far from cordial because of unknown incidents that happened in their past involving the death of Dameon’s father: the former Sun Priest. And perhaps due to her duties as the Dreamer, she also seems to have difficulties in caring for and communicating with her Dameon. But with Rhen’s help, Talia’s relationship with her son may take a turn for the better.

• Devin Pendragon (formerly Devin Perry in Ahriman's Prophecy) ruled Thais with his wife, Queen Alicia Pendragon. He had fallen in love with Talia at first, but since she became Dreamer, they were no longer able to stay together. Years later, he fell in love and married Queen Alicia. However, in one of the endings in Aveyond, Devin became the Sun Priest after Dameon (And Dameon became the King of Thais after Devin). It might do a great difference in Devin and Talia's relationship, since now they are both immortals (It is not known if Talia married Dameon's father, the previous Sun Priest, as Dameon-the-mortal has Talia's mortal surname), and though Talia only said that she could now "boss him forever", there are many hopes for the two to reunite with love once more.

• Danny is Liana the baker's son and Rhen's long-time friend and childhood crush from Clearwater, her home village. Rhen will have the option of marrying him at the end of Aveyond.

• The Oracle is one of the characters who also guides Rhen in her quest. She is an old lady, and is very wise. She has the power to appoint the Druids of the world and is the seer who prophesizes Rhen's fate. She is fixed at the Sun Shrine for the duration of the game, and can reach out to certain high personages like Telin De'Baron, Empress of the Eastern Empire, by way of apparition.

[edit] Romances

• Rhen and Danny appear to have a romantic interest at the beginning of Aveyond, while Rhen is still a peasant living in her home village, Clearwater. The game does not straight-out tell you that they like each other, but they constantly fail to greet each other without blushing. When Rhen goes missing, Danny rushes to find her and insists that he will not be back until he succeeds. (He never does, unless you count Rhen finding him.) Although there is not much interaction between these two characters, you are given the opportunity to marry Rhen to Danny and live a peaceful life in Clearwater when Rhen’s journey is complete, and also the opportunity for Dameon to show a hint of jealousy towards a man he knows Rhen has known since childhood.

• Rhen and Dameon fall for each other during Rhen's quest. Unfortunately, when you are about to battle Ahriman, it is revealed that Dameon was only Ahriman’s accomplice. However, you will see that his feelings for Rhen were true when Dameon asks Rhen to join him and Ahriman, so that they could live together forever. This is one way to end up with Dameon. If you choose to “fight” him, however, Rhen will use fairy dust, which is said to always reveal the truth, into Dameon’s eyes. It will become clear to Dameon that Ahriman is the bad guy, and you will proceed to defeat Ahriman. Once he’s defeated and you report to the Oracle at the sun shrine, Rhen is given the opportunity to return to Thais and claim her title as queen. If you choose to make her do this, Dameon will give up his place as the Sun Priest in favor of Devin and accompany Rhen to Thais, wedding her and ruling Thais jointly for the rest of their natural lives.

• Te’ijal and Galahad are quite the unlikely couple, Te’ijal being a heartless vampire and Galahad being a self-righteous, naïve, magic-hating paladin. Despite this, Te’ijal finds an interest in the paladin and decides to capture his soul and wear it in her soul pendant. Desperate to get his soul back, Galahad agrees to marry Te’ijal in exchange for his soul. After the very brief ceremony, however, Te’ijal bites him, turning him into a vampire, laughing and stating that vampires don’t need souls, so he could only then get out of the soul pendent. Although they never settle down and become a real married couple (at least not in Aveyond: Rhen’s Quest), they never got a divorce either. (How does one go around getting a vampire divorce anyway? Since "till death do us part" don't apply to them...)

• Pirate John and Elini start to have a romance when the pirate's wildness sparks an interest in Elini, but he has experience with Veldtonian women and refuses to show any interest in her. But after finding a magic kettle for a certain alchemist, you will be given a love potion which Elini dumps on Pirate John’s head. Although Pirate John is confused with the love potion telling him completely the opposite thing his brain does, he eventually gives in and declares in a wedding chapel that he wants to marry Elini. As if getting him hadn’t been hard enough, Elini demands a wedding ring. If presented with a cheap one, she will turn it down. Only when offered an expensive wedding ring will she agree to marry Pirate John. Yet he still seem to be able to clutch onto the remains of his love-potion-induced brain, as he refuses to kiss Elini, knowing that a Veldtonian woman would never let her man go once she kissed him.

• Pirate John and Mad Marge never become a couple in the game, but Mad Marge will not stop flirting with him. This makes her a rival to Elini, whom Pirate John eventually marries -- thanks to a love potion. Elini has even casually suggested that Te'ijal bite Marge since "no one will mind" and she can "live on her for days".

[edit] Places

[edit] Eastern Isle

• Ghalarah is a city where slavery is commonplace. Rhen is enslaved and taken to Ghalarah to serve the Tenobar family.
• Veldarah is a large city to the east of Ghalarah and home to the Empress of the Eastern Empire. It also the new home to a necromancer, who recently set up his own shop (and Necromancer Guild), although his presence seems to disturb the locals. Shadwood Academy, the elite school where Rhen and Lars learn magic, is also in Veldarah.
• Wildwoods is a dangerous forest in the southern end of the Eastern Isle, filled with powerful werewolves and crows. It is also home to the mysterious hind, who lures men into her lair by her enchanted harp music and turns men to stone with her stare. The only safe place seems to be the Wildwoods Tavern. However, the Wildwoods is also a refuge for a certain hermit who has lived a quiet and solitary life for seventeen years.
• Halloween Hills is a dark and creepy land where nothing seems able to live, save for the bats and the swamp slime.
  • Ghed'ahre is a city of the undead - that is, vampires. The Dark Temple and Rashnu, the Druid of Darkness can also be found here, within the city's cathedral. It is also the city where Te'ijal resides, and not having ghosts to haunt one's home is considered a social taboo.
  • New Witchwood is the town of witches in the eastern side of Halloween Hills. Most of the witches seem to be either concerned about being ugly and wicked or about catching the attention of a certain warlock named Gavin (who bewitched most of them with a love potion). The witches have a lucrative account with the Gentle Children's School, where they send their good, unwanted children, keeping only the wicked ones who would curse others on the slightest provocation (and I don't mean insults).
• Land's End is the grassy land east of the Wildwoods. Vohu Manah, the Druid of Music, resides in and protects Land's End from the Harmony Temple.
  • Mt. Orion is the mountain in Land's End, accessible only by making an offering at the altar and crossing the waters by boat.

[edit] Northern Isle

• Thornkeep is the snowy village inhabited by dwarves, ruled by the Mountain King.
• Aveyond is located in the eastern portion of the Northern Isle. There, one can find the Sun Shrine, where the Oracle and Dameon reside. It is here that Rhen must bring together the druids in order to unlock the Sword of Shadows.
  • Teacup Town is a small village inhabited by binis, small and friendly cat-like creatures, who live in oversized teapots.
  • Memory Caverns is a mysterious labirynth of caves. Deep inside lives a small community of fairies. Vata or the Father Time can be found across the Rainbow Bridge.
• The Ice Palace is where the Ice Queen lives, sitting on her frozen throne. Beneath her palace, however, are the Ice Caverns and the Moon Temple where Daena, the Druid of Wisdom, lives.

[edit] Western Isle

• The Lowlands occupy the southern area of the Western Isle. It's characterized by its flat plains and arable land, suitable for growing corn. One can find the Gentle Children's School here, where only the children of well-off families are admitted. However, the Gentle Children's School has a special agreement with the witches of New Witchwood, agreeing to admit the witches' good and well-behaved children (rather than the bad children, who are valued and kept).
  • Brumwich is a farming town, in the Lowlands, that is obsessed with corn. However, lately, they've been having problems with thieves who steal their precious crops on top of dealing with locusts.
  • The Oldwoods are inhabited by the elves in Ylisfar and the night elves in Wormrot, which is located deep within Rootwell. These elves were once united under Lionel, the elven king, but they separated from each other when their king disappeared. The Oldwoods are located east of the Lowlands.
  • Sandstone Caves is a cave system near the Gentle Children's School.
• The Highlands occupies the northeastern area of Western Isle.
  • Clearwater is Rhen's hometown, a small and quiet village, largely undisturbed by the hustle and bustle of the outside world, partly due to the geographical position of the village. The annual apple harvest is the pride and joy of the villagers.
  • Blackbone Caves is a cave system in the Highlands.
• The Penninsula occupies the northwestern area of the Western Isle, and is also where the beautiful city of Sedona is located.
  • Sedona is the large city in the west that controls the west trade routes. It seems to be divided into a rich half (in the north) and a poor half (in the south), but all seem to be obsessed with cheese. The King of Sedona resides in the northern area of the city, protected by Galahad and his loyal guards.
  • Dirkon is a small village to the south. Unfortunately, it has suffered from the plague and is in need of help.
  • Thieves' Caves is a maze of caves in the Peninsula. However, if one can find his or her way through it, many treasures can be found. Deep within the caves resides a band of thieves.

[edit] Southern Isle

• The Veniara Islands are a group of three small islands. Mad Marge and Pirate John can be found on one, an illicit Pirate Market can be found on another, and an ale storage house can be found on the third.
• Veldt is a large city filled with warrior women and men. The inhabitants can trace their roots back to the Amazonian warriors of the past, and they take great pride in their fighting abilities. It is not unusual and even expected for women to be dominant over the men and for women to have several husbands. Elini is a noblewoman of Veldt and lives in a large house with her three husbands in the upper area of the city.
• The Demon Caves is a cave system filled with imps and dragons. The Stronghold Temple, where Eithera the Druid of Strength resides, can be found here.
  • Ahriman's Lair is yet another maze behind locked doors within the Stronghold Temple. It is guarded by wyverns and Angels of Death. Deep inside, waiting, is Ahriman.

[edit] Mysten Far

• Mysten Far is the land where the Priestesses live.

• Dreamland is the domain of Talia the Dreamer until it was attacked and taken over by Agas the daeva. The Tear Shrine can be found in Dreamland, along with a bush of glowberries. Dreamland can only be accessed by touching a special statue located on the island of Mysten Far.

[edit] Blasted Lands

• Thais is the last city left on the island after the demons attacked (there were a goodly many of them in Ahriman's Prophecy). It is surrounded by high stone walls, and royal guards fill the street, constantly on the watch for another demon attack. Once ruled by the late Queen Alicia Pendragon, the city waits for the return of its princess heir, the last of the Pendragons, who will bear the signet ring of the royal family, to sit on the palace's empty throne. Prophecy has it that good will triumph over evil when the princess returns.
• The Dark Caverns are filled with dangerous lizard men and winged snakes. However, it is rumoured that there is a band of fairies who live there. The daeva who has Vata's soul, Aesma, is also in there.

[edit] References

Informations available on the article are mainly from the game 'Aveyond I'.

[edit] External links

• Amaranth web site
• Interview with Amanda Fitch, Aveyond's designer
• Interview with Amaranth Games

(Also look at our reviews from some who has played it:Terra)" It's a great game and I wish I could play it all day long."