Elinor and Aureus - Inseparable Wardens

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**Elinor an Aureus - Inseparable Wardens** are a boss duo in *Dark Devotion*. They are the third boss of the Heraldic Lily, the final area, and are therefore one of the hardest bosses in the game. The door to The Queen will not open until they are defeated. They reside in the Cold Purge, an area devoted entirely to this boss. On defeat, they will drop the weapon of the character defeated first; If Elinor falls first, the player will receive Elinor's Gleaming Spear. If Aureus falls first, the player will receive Aureus' Ethereal Bow and Cutlass.

## Description

Elinor and Aureus are both very unique fighters, with their own visual flair and style. Elinor is an armoured knight wielding an intricately shaped spear. She is wearing full plate armour with a ripped cloak and her face is covered by a helmet. In contrast, Aureus is wearing only light leather armour and a hood. An interesting feature is that Aureus appears to be missing an arm. Some torn cloth hangs in its place. However, when he readies his weapon, both arms are visible, and glow with a bright blue light. This is presumably King Theodore's magic, as mentioned in their backstory, as this is what allowed Aureus to continue defending the King. Both fighters are very mobile, and can quickly jump long distances. Elinor has the ability to summon a magic shield to defend Aureus, while Aureus uses magic to imbue his arrows with powerful movement.

## Lore

Like all of the bosses in the Heraldic Lily, Elinor and Aureus get an entire corridor of somewhat explicit lore, quickly explaining some of their backstory. The couple was present for all three revolutions that took place within the Temple, and as their reputation grew with each battle, they quickly became famous. However, during the third revolution, Aureus lost his arm, and could no longer fulfill his role as a defender, despite Elinor's best efforts. In a final desperate effort to give Aureus his talent back, Elinor turned to King Theodore for help. He imbued Aureus with magic, and Aureus gained his archery ability back. In return, the two declared an eternal oath of allegiance to the king, which they honour to this day. Upon defeat, no matter how far apart they are in the arena, or who is defeated first, Elinor will always stumble to Aureus' side, and they die together. This should leave no one in any doubt of Elinor's righteous heart or the duo's love.

## Attacks

### Phase One

* While being attacked, especially near Aureus, Elinor will create an impenetrable magic shield.
* Elinor will thrust forward with her spear. The speed and distance of this attack can vary. She will sometimes charge the thrust before following through.
* Elinor will leap into the air and slam down at the player's location a few seconds later. If she lands near Aureus, she will instantly create a shield. If she lands in Aureus' ice trails, the attack will be an AOE, with ice crashing around her.
* Elinor will perform a long distance combat roll before attacking with a vertical slash.
* All of Aureus' attacks create ice on the ground, which will lower player movement speed and buff Elinor's slam attack.
* Aureus will frequently fire a single shot from his bow, directly in front of him. If he charges this shot, it will leave an ice trail for as long as the arrow travels.
* Aureus will fire two arrows into the air, which arc towards the player, leaving patches of ice where they land.
* Aureus will leap backwards, shooting three arrows down towards the player, which all leave ice patches.
* Aureus will aim straight up and shoot a long volley of arrows which will cascade down around the player. A thin beam of light will appear just before the arrow lands, telegraphing where each arrow will fall. Each one will leave an ice patch.
* When Elinor and Aureus are on opposite sides of the player, Elinor will throw her spear towards them. Aureus will catch it on the other side, before loading it into his bow and firing it straight back to her.

### Phase Two

(Depending on who the player defeats first, the remaining fighter will change their moveset slightly.)

#### Aureus Phase Two

* As soon as the player defeats Elinor, Aureus will unleash a long and constant hail of arrows. Although these are telegraphed as usual, the sheer number of arrows and length of the barrage can make this attack hard to deal with.
* Aureus can now double jump backwards, before shooting either one or three arrows down at the player's position.

#### Elinor Phase Two

* As soon as Aureus falls, Elinor will start a vicious combo of thrusts, one after another, about six to eight times. After this, she will revert back to her regular moveset.

## Notes

* Elinor is one of the only characters in *Dark Devotion* with a definitive voice. She audibly yells, "No!" when Aureus is defeated, which is the only circumstance in the game of a definitive word being spoken.
* The couple may be inspired by Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough from *Dark Souls*. In both cases, one of the duo wields a spear and the character left alive becomes more powerful upon the other's defeat.