Companion

## Companion Design

A celestial being that was once human, the companion is a small round creature with a large tail comparatively to its body. The companion has two states, neutral and angry. When neutral, the companion appears white and fluffy whereas when angry, the companion is purple and protruding spikes grow. The companion features a mask and their face is hidden, the expression on the mask reflects the companions current state.

## Companion Lore

"*The gatekeeper will be impatient to complete its destiny and require a human companion to guide it along the trials."*

"*The companion will be charged with protecting the deity and helping it learn of the world’s history."*

*"One day the deity who acts as the key to the realm of the gods will come. It will need the youngest of the tribe to act as a companion and to guide it on its journey and so they embark. [...] One day the deity who acts as the key to the realm of the gods will come. It will need the youngest of the tribe to act as a companion and to guide it on its journey and so they embark."*

The above lore quotes were created by Sean McCann.

### First Appearance

The following was created by Safya Devautour.

The companion first appears during the tutorial phase. The tutorial takes place just after the intro scene – when we can see the player character on their boat.

The companion is first seen asleep on a rock, blocking the player character's way. The player needs to push the rock, to enter the island. When the player pushes the rock, the companion wakes up. First, the companion is quite upset, but then they recognize the chosen one, swiftly fly around them and start following them.

### Backstory

The following lore was created by Safya Devautour.

Etaron - from the ancient greek ἑταῖρον, meaning “companion” - is the player's mysterious companion. The companions age is unknown however it is said that they are "Old enough to remember the big clash between Gods and Humans, yet young enough to be stubborn and moody."

Etaron was once a mortal human, back in the days when the island was still inhabited by humans. Etaron was a turbulent teenager, they wanted to prove their strength to the world or, rather, show to their group of friends how fearless they were. So, one day, they made a bet that they could steal from the Gods. Their band of friends laughed at them, not only because it was ridiculously arrogant, but because it was insanely dangerous. Despite their friends warning, Etaron went by night into the Temple of Life, and snatched a mystic orb. Unfortunately, Grintur – God of Earth, was watching. He decided to punish the impertinent child and metamorphose them into something embodying their personality: a turbulent and swift round creature, controlled by their anger and passions.

Etaron – ashamed and upset, was condemned to serve the God of Earth and to do all their dirty work. After the big clash between the Gods and Humans, Grintur left Etaron behind, without a word. Since this day, Etaron wanders alone, waiting for Gods’ forgiveness and to be returned to being human.

*"This is where the tiny god, suddenly able to speak, demonstrates the bond it has created with the human, that they can bring about beauty in their relationships with others, despite their differences, that it has made a friend in this human here who has helped it on its long journey to fulfill its destiny."* This quote was written by Sean McCann.

When the companion woke up on their rock, they immediately sensed that
the kid staring at them was not like all the others that tried to fulfill the prophecy. Etaron knew that this one had the potential to reach their goal. Etaron wanted Grintur to come back to the human world, otherwise, how could they ever turn back into a human? Being immortal was tiring, as well as spending their day doing nothing. Thus, he decided to help the kid. Together, they would fix the relationship between mortals and immortals.

## Interactions During Gameplay

The companion will follow the player throughout their adventure. In the overarching world the idea is that the companion would take more of a role within the game such as working as a sort of radar, where it would act in a way to draw the character to places of interest or hidden collectibles.

The companion in this demo version will play a crucial part in the story and will help the player by knocking over the first orb in the resting place allowing the player to collect it.

The companion also has an idle animation that progressively sees him get more angry.