The land was once ruled by a powerful and benevolent emperor. Peace and prosperity proliferated to all reaches of his glorious empire. Yet, one day he vanished without a word, bequeathing his country to the will of the people. Many rumored he was pursuing a dream, others suspected he knew of a strange discovery, but no one truly knew why. Without the guidance of the emperor, the nation slowly deteriorated and fell to the foul nature of man. Gluttonous magistrates and warring vandals fought for control of the country. Blood stained the once verdant land and all that the emperor had labored for was conflagrated in the blink of an eye.
However, one day the emperor returned as suddenly as he had left. In anger at what he saw, he smashed his fists into the ashen earth and out sprang forth a wall of jagged rock. He judged every man, woman and child and divided the righteous to one side and the wicked to the other. With a booming voice that shook the land, he declared the land of the virtuous to be entitled Eneres and the other, Glomesos. With those words, the jagged rock ascended towards the sky at blinding speed, shadowing any structure made by man. These mountains would one day be known as "the Precipice."
The emperor ascended to the summit of the Precipice and entrusted his people with these last words: "Hear me, people of youth and age, decent and vile; just as light and darkness repel one another, and heaven and hell may never coexist, so goes it that none of one dominion shall trespass the other." And with that, the emperor was never seen nor heard from again. Centuries passed and although men still gazed at the foreboding figure of the Precipice in the distance, they had forgotten the reason for its existence.
What is it?
Rose Chronicles is a game made in Rm2k3 (Rpgmaker 2003) that is a hybrid between a classical point-and-click adventure and the more recent JRPGs. Progression of the story and areas will be done through a pseudo-mouse interface, while battles will be a real-time menu-driven affair. If you are confused, then give it a try to see what I'm talking about. A similar commercial game is "Rivera, the Promised Land," for the GBA and PSP.
Characters
Here is a brief description of the main characters of the journey. They all have their weaknesses and strengths, fears and desires. Currently, I only have a small profile picture. I'll hopefully have the time to render these guys in DAZ later on.
Roselle is the main protagonist of the story. Naive to inner-workings of the empire like most others, she pursues what she assumes to be a solution to her problems. However, the assumed solution will take her across borders and laws others dare not cross. Headstrong, yet polite, Roselle has questions that may not be answered until it is too late. She may find herself identifying with Violette at times, but that’s only because the older and wiser Violette has more in common than she thinks.
Violette is the other protagonist of the story. Contrary to the comfortable life that Roselle has led, Violette’s own is met with harshness and pain. She harbors a terrible secret that is central to the story, which she conceals from others with much success. Often cool-headed and calculating, she is the natural leader of the rag-tag group who also seems to have the uncanny ability of avoiding trouble. She frequently puts on a friendly facade that masquerades her destined mission.
Marise is the troublemaker of the town, a brash tomboy who isn’t afraid to get down and dirty with the best of them. Even though she often mocks Roselle for being frail and physically-inept, her unwavering loyalty to her friend has been proved again and again. She may not be the brightest out the bunch, but she knows when a fight is futile and when a sacrifice is necessary.
Ellington is a boy from the heart of the empire, Vanguard. Raised on the beliefs and values of the Eneres, he solemnly pledges himself to uphold the rules of the empire. This puts him at odds with Violette, whom seemingly is leading Roselle away from all that he stands for. He finds a certain mysteriousness about Violette that he can’t quite grasp; the words she speaks discomforts him, if nothing else then that there exists a sliver of truth between her perplexing ideas.