Primal:Aetha

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Set in the cloud-draped peaks is the far from heavenly Aetha. The sheer mountains and treacherous rocks mean the inhabitants have to make their precarious homes on the plateaus and peaks above the clouds. The gloom and drizzle hides Tudor-like architecture with foreboding towers, heavy black beams and crumbling white walls. Overhanging balconies seek to steal what little light the street lanterns cast.

The occupants of Aetha are the "Wraith" race. These fearsome and cadaverous beings have created a warped aristocratic society, with the ruling Wraith class living a life of opulence and excess while the "Helot" peasants live in filth and squalor. Unsurprisingly the ruling class are selfish and evil, throwing lavish masked balls within sight of the starving masses. The Wraith are shown to have vampiric characteristics, although not needing blood to live, their ability to digest Helot blood gives them invincible qualities.

Jen's third demon form is based on the Wraith race.

Locations in Aetha

Village

  • Lower Village: Where Jen and Scree begin their adventure through Aetha, this is where the Riftgate to the Nexus is.
  • Upper Village: Where many of the Helot reside usually, however they have been driven from their village by the growing wrath of the Wraith.
  • Main Square: According to Scree, the Main Square often is bustling with the Helot with market stalls, however deserted since the Wraith's new grip of power.
  • Manor House: One of the more luxurious buildings the Helot own, it is here the population of the Lower and Upper villages have fled. A cellar lies beneath the building and a trap door conceals the population.
  • Cemetery: Where the Helot bury their dead, The Duke's ghost (known as a Phantom, possibly what happens to a Wraith upon death opposed to an actual ghost) haunts the graveyard as of late.
  • Farm: Although not really explored, the Helot have a farm. A barn of troughs lies near a Riftgate and a few fields lie around the cliffs suggesting the Helot used to grow some form of crop and house some form of animal once.

Dungeon

  • Dungeon Docks & Flooded Dungeons: An out of place dock appears to be one entrance (and the entrance Scree & Jen take) to enter the Mansion. This area is severely flooded, perhaps a natural lake the Wraith use to bring water up to the castle, or the result of faulty plumming. Either way, it's an obscure feature to have sitting underneath a castle atop of a cliff..
  • Cage Chamber
  • Torture Room: It appears many forms of torture occur down in these lower levels. Jen and Scree are introduced to a collaboration of unruly decapitated Wraith and Helot heads that are placed upon magical skewers that enable them to maintain their life. From the disagreeing opinions of the heads, it appears eternity with such characters would truly be a whole new form of torture. Although some desire to help Jen, one stuck up Wraith (once being upon the Count's side - even though he'd taken his head off) alerts the guards to Jen and Scree's location.
  • Upper Cells: It is here an unexpected Ally emerges from the darkness. For the rest of the Dungeons, Scree and Jen are accompanied by a Helot warrior who has managed to free himself from his shackles claiming the Wraith had killed all his family and desired to help on account of his revenge. He leaves our heroes when they emerge from the Dungeons to an uncertain fate.

Count Raum's Mansion

Count Raum's mansion also known as The Chateau (a French reference to add to the French Revolution motif) is the stronghold of the Wraith aristocracy in Aetha. It's an elaborate and beautiful location which strikes a certain irony when you remember who live within it's walls. It is divided into East Wing, West Wing, and Count Raum's Tower.

West Wing

  • Upon arriving in the mansion from the Dungeons you're met with a daunting room with statues of lantern carriers which resemble The Hermit in Tarot Cards and also bear a striking similarity to lantern-carriers in Led Zepelin's album: Led Zepelin IV.
  • The Chapel:

Count Raum's Mansion

    • The Chapel
      • Large mirror at the head, indicative of vanity, indicates Raum worships himself here.
      • Twin mirror Statues on the southeast wall of a wraith apparently about to strike a women in evening dress from behind. Reference to the vampire theme of the level.
    • The Dark Maze
    • Library
    • Ballroom
    • Banquet Hall
    • Raum and Empusa's Bedroom
    • Main Courtyard
      • Fountain of Blood
    • Torture rooms beneath
    • Flooded Dungeons beneath.
    • Elizabeth's garret.
    • Blood Machine
    • The Parlor - West corner of the East Wing.
      • Up stairs lead to Raum and Empusa's bedroom. Note mirror on the landing for the Count and Countess to check their appearance before greeting the unwashed masses.
      • Down Stairs lead southeast to the hall around the periphery of the East Wing. Destination is the Orrery Room which leads to the Dark Maze.
      • Harpsichord.
        • Not a virginal. They're rectangular and legless, BION.
      • Parquet floor.
      • Fireplace
      • No mirror
      • End table
      • Multiple chairs for entertaining guests.
      • Exit to the Northeast is a small room that leads to the Banquet Hall. The small room has single long flight of stairs down to the South east. There's a locked door at the end. By the sound of rain it opens somewhere in the Dark Maze.


East Wing

The East Wing of the Mansion is initially reached from the balcony around the Main Courtyard. That has a door to the SouthEast that opens onto the balcony above the Banquet Hall.

Central Portion

West Wing

Armoury
  • Northeastern portion of the wing.
  • Stairs to the East up to Ballroom Balcony.
Elizabeth's Chambers
  • Elizabeth's Attic, stairs down to Elizabeth's Chambers.
  • Elizabeth's Chambers (1 flight up)
    • Double room with two chaises longues, a fireplace, a bureau with huge mirror, and floor to ceiling windows. Stairs up to Elizabeth's Attic and down to
  • Elizabeth's Chambers (ground floor)
    • Southernmost point of the West wing.
    • Northeast door into the Library
    • Northwest door into the hallway to the Arboretum where Jen is captured by Count Raum upon entering the Mansion.
Library
  • Multilevel
  • Green flames partway up each of the four columns in the Library.
  • Wraith bust wearing a Darth-Vader like cowl, minus the breathing mask.
  • Extensive book shelves.
  • Door to the Northeast from the Chapel.
  • Door to the South East to the Main Courtyard ([Central Portion]).
  • Door to Elizabeth's Chambers to the South West.
  • Spoiler: [Energy Gem</span]
  • Spoiler: [hidden passage to the Armory]


Creatures Found in Aetha

  • Wraith: The aristocratic and vampiric rulers of Aetha.
  • Yaarg: The equivalent to Solum's Malkai, these pests have taken over The Village since Raum & Empusa have upped their evil powers. They are extremely deadly and their strange body shape makes it hard to attack the creatures. Their appearance holds some similarities to Vogons from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
  • Valkyrie: Most probably a caste of Wraith soldiers as they have the Wraith's ability to flit. All Valkyrie are female so it seems.
  • Helot: Horned peasants who live miserable, busy and unrewarding lives under the rule of the Wraith. They possess little strength and appear to have no special abilities. It's never determined if the Helot are a sub-species of the Wraith or an entirely different one altogether, that said - they cannot perform any of the powers the Wraith have and facially look extremely different. They do not have the Wraith webbed hair or dark gloomy eye sockets, but instead have noticable horns protruding from the back of the skull extremely similar to a Pachycephalosaurus.
  • Phantom: Possibly a result of a Wraith death and the Wraith equivalent to a Ghost or something that Count Raum's dark science has created. It takes the form of a minature whirlwind. The Duke was a notable Phantom after his death.
  • Rats: It's clear rats are a problem in Aetha. Many scamper across the floor in the dungeons and Princess Elizabeth has a dead pet rat called Claude.
  • Unnamed Travel-Worthy Toad: Exceptionally hard to discover, in the Manor House there is a sepia photograph of a Helot riding upon a very large toad-like creature. Another figure appears to be holding the reigns of the toad upon the floor. A domesticated pet appears next to him - possibly a terrier dog.


Characters in Aetha


Trivia

  • The date on the majority of the gravestones is: "1220-1242." It is unknown what this date signifies, however a wikipedia:Croatian Archbishop Guncellus held religious power in this era.
  • Many of the doors of the Helot houses are daubed with white which shows a cross with wings and a circle atop of it. Such a marking could be similar to a passage in the Bible: Exodus 12-23. It claims to make a marking upon your door to make sure the Lord God knows not to strike down your door and destroy whoever's inside. The Wraith could be likened to gods with their immortality and the marking could be a sign that they've already been calling at that house for victims.
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