Characters of Overlord
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This article describes the characters of Overlord, an Xbox 360 and PC video game developed by Triumph Studios and published by Codemasters in 2007, and its 2008 expansion Overlord: Raising Hell.
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[edit] Main Characters
[edit] The Overlord
The Overlord is the silent protagonist of the game. At first the Overlord has no indication or memory of his origins or past. He is first awoken from a tomb, buried under the previous Overlord's tower, by the brown minions lead by Gnarl and is quickly suited up in armour, named successor to the previous Overlord and gains magic and command over the tower and the minion hordes with the clear motivation to over throw the seven hero leaders and reconquer the lands before him.[1] Even though the Overlord never speaks throughout his conquest, with most of the narration being done by Gnarl and later his tower mistress, his motivations and will are quickly imposed upon the lands' inhabitants, for better or worse. His various act and decisions are reflected by his tower and armour that become bright and shiny from more positive acts while dark and spiky from more evil acts.[2]
Upon the sudden appearance of the previous Overlord, it is not only learnt that the current Overlord was meant as a temporary tool to be used to defeat the various hero leaders in the lands but was originally the eighth hero who upon destruction of the previous Overlord, fell from a great height and was left for dead by his fellow heroes while they looted the remains of the falling tower. Upon the previous Overlord's defeat, the new Overlord reclaims the minions and his authority and depending on his actions previously will either be hailed as a hero by the lands inhabitants or will pillage the lands and torture those who defied him.
In Raising Hell, which takes place right after the events in the original game, The Overlord is directed by Gnarl that formations of evil energy have been found throughout his conquered land, coming from gates which lead into the Abyss, a hellish dimension. The Overlord conquers each Abyss version of his own lands until he finally confronts the Lord of the Abyss. Upon its defeat however the Overlord is left stranded in the Abyss from the destruction left in the death of the previous lord. Yet despite being stuck there, the undead hordes of the Abyss bow down before him, showing his authority over the entire Abyss, while back in the normal world, his mistress carries his child.
[edit] Gnarl
Gnarl is an aged minion who lead the minions between Overlords and acts as the narrator and advisor throughout the conquest. Even though being the frailest minion of the tower, he is the most experienced and knowledgeable, conducting various tasks like restoration of the tower while the Overlord is away and introduces new options and powers to him as they become available. He reflects the multiple paths of corruption the Overlord can take with his tone of voice and speech varying between light and black humour and always reminds the Overlord "There are evil deeds that need doing". Upon arrival of the previous Overlord he is quick to betrayal but also appears less enthusiastic and reassures that if the current Overlord's succeeds that he will "happily take [him] back".
He is voiced by Marc Silk.
[edit] Rose
Out of the two possible mistresses the Overlord can take, the first one is Rose. She is first encountered at Castle Spree, where the keep housing Heaven’s Peak "plague" refugees is under siege from bandit raiders under Jewel, the Thieving Hero.[3] She is less corrupt than most of the other characters and while working for the evil Overlord, acts in a straight forward polite manner, showing good organisational skills, strong will, dresses formally and is unafraid of the minion hordes, who she refers to as "cherubs" at Gnarl's disgust. Later on she can also improve the brown and blue minions when swaying the Overlord in her favour upon him meeting her sister Velvet. If the Overlord stays loyal throughout, at the end she can be seen relaxing with him and the minions in a green flower-filled field. Both Rose and Velvet are also the daughters of the Wizard before being corrupted by the Old Overlord. If she remains with the Overlord in the events of Raising Hell, after the Overlord is stranded it is heavily implied that she is carrying the Overlord's unborn child.
She is voiced by Fay Maillardet.
[edit] Velvet
Velvet is Rose's sister and second potential mistress found later when the Overlord storms the Angelis Keep at Heaven's Peak. Rose is quick to point out that she and Velvet don't get along as Velvet has a more of an opposite personality to her sibling. She is more lustful and spoiled and if chosen demands the Overlord brings her presents each time. She dresses more provocatively and has darker tastes in fashion and decoration. Velvet was previously to be the bride in a "Royal Wedding" to the ruler of Heaven's Peak, Sir William the Black. However upon the "plague" outbreak and Sir William's sudden seduction by a succubus, Velvet is locked away in her private quarters until the Overlord slays Sir William. After she is without grief over her loss and is quick to try and seduce the Overlord in her favour against Rose,[4] also trying to bribe him with improvements for the green and red minions who she refers to as "pixies".[5] If the Overlord dumps Rose for her, Velvet can be seen at the end, comfortable on the Overlord's bed. Like Rose, if the player took her as his mistress, at the end of Raising Hell it is implied she is carrying the Overlord's unborn child.
She is voiced by Jonell Elliott.
[edit] Seven Heroes
[edit] Melvin Underbelly
Melvin Underbelly is the Halfling King and ruler of the Mellow Hills. Since the defeat of the previous Overlord, Melvin has become extremely gluttonous,[6] being a pure embodiment of the sin becoming morbidly obese to unnatural proportions, larger than that of humans and even the Overlord despite the Halfling's traditional short and stocky figure and can only move at a slow pace or rolling like a ball. He is first seen at the Halfling Homes where he is throwing a party and singing personally along with the slave labour of the human peasants and red minions. His strong desire to eat has led to the starvation of the town of Spree and use of the previous Tower Heart to grow pumpkins. He wears a crown and is clothed in now overly stretched clothes and wields a gold fork for power, status, eating and eventually used as a weapon. Upon his defeat at the hands of the Overlord he explodes covering his kitchen in his thick orange interior chemical fat.
In Raising Hell, Melvin is being punished in the Abyss of Mellow Hills by being fed more food then he could handle, causing him to explode but reappear again to eat more and continue this cycle. The Overlord lures Melvin with his food in order to use his explosive power to blast through various obstacles. Towards the end, Melvin rolls into a deep hole, there having to go on a permanent diet.
[edit] Oberon Greenhaze
Oberon Greenhaze was once the ruler of the Elves and the Evernight Forest. After the defeat of the previous Overlord, he went into a deep sleep of the forest's great tree. In this permanent state of sloth,[6] the roots of the trees entangled the land, even spreading into the neighbouring Mellow Hills. Also in this sleep, his nightmares became reality spawning all sorts of demonic and savage life in the once peaceful forest which also allowed the Dwarves of the Golden Hills to loot their sacred statue of their God Mother and kidnap the last of their living kind for mining gold, leaving Evernight Forest haunted by the spirits of fallen Elves. With destruction of each root across the forest, Oberon finally wakes and promises not to let the forest fall again, meaning he is quick to attack the invading Overlord. Upon his defeat, the great tree opens up a way into the Dwarven Golden Hills.
Oberon is being punished in the Evernight Forest Abyss by having to constantly watch a poor produced play directed by the undead hordes, which stars themselves and Elf slaves telling the story of the Elves downfall. Due to missing props, the play starts over and over from act 1. The Overlord finds the final prop, the Dwarven machine "Rollie" and finishes the play with the slaughter of the Elves on stage and Oberon being burnt into ash from Rollie's flamethrower.
[edit] Sir William the Black
Sir William the Black is the ruler of Heaven's Peak and originally the fiancé of Velvet. However when the Overlord arrives in these lands, most of the peasants have either fled or held fort with the castle being overrun by zombies and demons. Despite this and having to call off the "Royal Wedding" to Velvet, Sir William still enjoys secretive parties in a cult like manner under the seduction of a succubus and so has become very lustful.[6] When the Overlord storms the Angelis Keep, he sees it as an intrusion to his party as the Overlord not being invited despite the horrific events within the walls of the city and appears very egotistic. Upon his defeat, him and his cult fall leaving Velvet open to a new husband.
Sir William's punishment in the Heaven's Peak Abyss, along with the rest of his cult is having to stay on a molten rock ground and constantly be on fire. The Overlord takes him out of there and instead hooks him up to a series of humiliating peddle operated devices to clean floors and cut grass for the women who currently dominated the Abyss before the Overlord lays claims. After this, Sir William is killed off a second time in an attempt to capture the Abyss stone for himself.
[edit] Goldo Golderson
Goldo Golderson is the Dwarf king of the Golden Hills. From his name and that of the lands, he pursues the pleasure of wealth over all other aspects of life. Ever since his victory over the last Overlord, he has become ever more greedy for gold,[6] even demanding his wedding gift to Sir William and Velvet back after the unfortunate events at Heaven's Peak. Along with this greed he forces the remaining Elf males to mine for Gold and keeps the Elf women locked away in his "Royal Halls" while the rest of the Dwarf population enjoy constant binge drinking. Goldo wears a full set of golden armour and wields a golden double-headed axe while his choice of weapon upon battling the Overlord is riding his "pet Rollie", which in fact is actually a large steam roller as dwarves have very slow movement. After Goldo's defeat, the Overlord discovers his mass horded amount of gold.[7]
In the Golden Abyss, Goldo is being punished by being made into a gold statue, with the Abyss stone in its centre. In order to retrieve it, the Overlord lures his Dwarf followers with sacks of gold to Goldo where they pick away at him until the Abyss stone is freed.
[edit] Jewel, the Thieving Hero
Jewel, also known as The Thieving Hero is the leader of the Ruborian Desert and the bandit forces, the very same who attacked Castle Spree. Her need to steal comes from her strong sense of envy,[6] leading her and her plans being seen on a number of occasions throughout the Overlord's travels. Her main goal is to steal the sacred statue of the Elves, first being seen as its last place in Evernight Forest before being tricked by Gnarl into stealing it as a manner of locating her whereabouts. However Jewel actually finds the statue itself unattractive and only wants it due to its importance to the other races. Jewel seems to be constantly unsatisfied with most things, even with the over care for her by Kahn the Warrior. Upon her location being found, the Overlord doesn't slay her on the spot like the previous heroes, but instead captures her for interrogation. When the Overlord leaves to battle Kahn the Warrior, what happens to Jewel isn't mentioned and in Raising Hell she is also not present.
[edit] Kahn the Warrior
Kahn the Warrior is Jewels partner and second to last hero the Overlord faces. He is first seen at the Evernight Forest where Jewel is unhappy over the sacred Elven statue already haven been stolen. Despite her clear anger, Kahn still acts in a flirting manner, being very protective of her and when he becomes angry himself he shows strong wrath over anything,[6] smashing it with his oversized morning star. When Jewel is captured by the Overlord, Kahn is quick to show his anger by attacking the town of Spree and Heaven's Peak with a large force of bandits and creatures that resemble the Beholder. Even with his wrath, he is defeated in front of the "Halfway to Heaven Inn" at Heaven's Peak where his last words are "Jewel".
In the Internal Abyss, Kahn has supposedly "exploded" with rage and has been put together to form a wall to block the entrance to the Abyss centre. Despite being knocked down he is still able to talk despite being in scattered pieces.
[edit] The Wizard
The nameless Wizard is the current body for the previous Overlord and final hero the current Overlord must face. Upon returning to the tower after defeating Kahn, the old Overlord lays claims to the throne and command over the minions, with the help of whichever mistress you abandoned at the Angelis Keep as the original Wizard before the old Overlord took his body is the father of Rose and Velvet. He is responsible for the corruption of the seven heroes[6] and only used the current Overlord to do his bidding before reclaiming his title, showing great pride in his work. He commands his own horde of minions in the final confrontation, wielding a magical staff and the power to invoke tornados. With his defeat, the current Overlord keeps his title and rule over the land.
[edit] Other Characters
[edit] The Jester
The Jester is a brown minion and entertainer in the manner of a middle age's jester. His sole purpose is to chat and praise the Overlord calling him under different titles as the Overlord completes certain tasks like 'Enemy of Mankind" if the Overlord has killed a large amount of humans. In the game's starting tutorial the Jester acts as a test dummy for the Overlord to learn how to use power and commands on. The Overlord can also kick the Jester to the floor with the sound of a cowbell each time, which the Jester will take and continue to praise the Overlord regardless. At the end of game, it is implied that the spirit of the previous Overlord has taken over the Jester's body.[8]
In Raising Hell, the Jester is no longer in the tower and is later found in the domain of the lord of the Abyss. Upon the Overlord's victory, the Abyss Lord tears down the room with himself and the Jester jumps onto the remaining Abyss gate before it is destroyed.
[edit] Giblet
Giblet is another brown minion and one of the first the Overlord commands. He is first mentioned by Gnarl when they recover the tower heart from the Mellow Hills, with Giblet slacking off.[9] Later when the Overlord recovers his first smelter for the forge, Giblet is the named by Gnarl as the forge master where he is equipped with a forge hammer and goggles. He has also a part of apparent vandalism the Overlord's "Guide to World Domination" (game manual), adding notes about his whereabouts in the pictures.[1]
[edit] Archie
Archie or by his full name Archibaldamius Methuselah Wobbleboard III is a black human peasant and the mayor of Spree. Archie was not actually being elected on the basis of his governing skills but more of the fact that he supplies the drinks to the town, originally being just a landlord for the town's inn. He is the one to explain the corruption of the Halflings and requests the Overlord return the town's food supplies. When Kahn the Warrior seizes the town, after its liberation Archie and the fellow peasants beg for mercy after having surrendered to the bandits. Archie is either killed or spared along with the other depending on the Overlord's choice.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b (2007) in Codemasters Software Limited: Overlord instruction manual (Xbox 360) (in English). Codemasters, 1.
- ^ Overlord: Add Fable, Lord of the Rings, and a little of Shrek's fractured fairy tale. Shake well.. GameSpy (2006-05-18). Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
- ^ Magdalena Tomkowicz & Bartek Kossakowski. Game Pressure Guides - Overlord - Get a Mistress for your Tower. Game Pressure. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
- ^ Rose:...and now he's dead. I can see why you might be emotional but stay out of my business!
Velvet: Him? Oh, he was over compensating, believe me. I was about to walk out on him when he locked me up in here. And now you've come along, my black knight. Triumph Studios. Overlord. Codemasters. Xbox 360. (in English). (2007-06-29) - ^ Magdalena Tomkowicz & Bartek Kossakowski. Game Pressure Guides - Overlord - Find Rose’s wayward sister Velvet – part 2. Game Pressure. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
- ^ a b c d e f g Wizard: Have a roast pig Melvin, have two... you're a hero now! - I think she likes you Sir William, if you want to slip away with her I won't tell anyone! - That Jewl had everything, turned out what she wanted was what other people had! - Have a rest Oberon, heroes need their rest! - Hard to see what you have taken away isn't it Kahn? When reason is gone, nothing is left but madness! - Goldo you can have all the gold you ever wanted, my friend! No one would refuse a hero! Triumph Studios. Overlord. Codemasters. Xbox 360. (in English). (2007-06-29)
- ^ Magdalena Tomkowicz & Bartek Kossakowski. Game Pressure Guides - Overlord - Get a Mistress for your Tower. Game Pressure. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
- ^ Videos at Game Trailers. Game Trailers. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
- ^ Gnarl: Giblet! I see you pretending to hold with one claw! Triumph Studios. Overlord. Codemasters. Xbox 360. (in English). (2007-06-29)