Paine

Soul Elegy

**Paine** is 97th Hero in the game Arena of Valor. He is a musician and a professor at **Athanor**'s Carano Academy. He also belongs to the Magister's Council of the Kingdom of Norman.

He's a super-mobile Assassin with a kit that allows him to poke, kill and escape.

## Profile

* Date of Birth: Mar 12
* Place of Birth: Free Federation
* Height: 181 cm
* Age: 20
* Race: The Corrupted
* Good at: Necromancy
* Status: Magic Academy Faculty
* Info:
	1. Paine is Carano Academy's most "terrifying professer".
	2. Paine loves afternoon teas

* Secrets:
	1. Paine was rumored to be responsible for thousands of deaths, but that's not true
	2. D'Arcy gained Paine's trust by virtue of his good taste in music.
	3. Paine scoffs at Dirak's poor quality of life and appreciation of beauty.

* Relationships:
	1. Keera (Student): Paine had undisguised appreciation and favor of Keera, the most talented magic apprentice in her year. Keera's absurd record of absence and horrible relationship with her classmates were overlooked by Paine, much to the chagrin of her classmates. They even speculated that Keera was Paine's long-lost daughter.
	2. D'Arcy (Fellow Teacher): TBA
	3. Dirak (Fellow Teacher): Faced with the unpredictability and chaos of the world, Dirak, the High Chancellor of the Magister Society, invited Paine to teach at the Magic Academy. Although Paine disdained Dirak's terrible sense of aesthetics, he had to admit the fact that Dirak was a mage of peerless talent.

## Story

Paine was born into a musical family in the Federation of the Free. Since childhood, he has been gifted with outstanding musical sense and hearing.

Born with anisocoria, Paine was always regarded as a "monster" by his peers. He was shunned by others for a long while and he became withdrawn. He also has mild autism and low self-esteem.

Music was the only thing that Paine was far superior to others in, and it became the only way for him to realize his self-worth. He was composing advanced music at the age of 12 and could even conduct a highly-anticipated choir performance at 15. The halo of a talented musician/conductor has surrounded him ever since.

Through intensive study of music, Paine discovered he could manipulate the souls of the choir and audience through the enchanted notes. His eyes could catch every movement of the soul (anisocoria's talent), attuning him to the rhythm of the music, yet he was always unable to achieve complete resonance due to physical restraints.

Hence, he excitedly waved his hands, speeding up the beat of every note to help those trapped souls to escape their physical restraints-but an accident happened. He ended up killing someone and became a wanted man.

Caught in his remorse, Paine built a Death Opera House next to a cemetery. There, he could make full use of his musical talents and conduct choir after choir. At the same time, he also made a new lifelong friend-the only pianist who could keep up with his musical sense.

This peaceful life continued like streams of water until a mysterious mage appeared before him one day....

## Anecdote

Soul Elegy

Paine hails from a musical family in the city of Prussia.

With his extraordinary eyes, he can see many souls that ordinary people cannot see. When he told others about this discovery, he received strange looks. Both friends and family ostracized him, and Paine gradually shut himself off from them.

During a citywide performance, the main conductor collapsed, and Paine, then 15, was asked to take over. Standing on the vast stage in front of the audience, the originally nervous and trembling Paine started to wave his hands up and down as the music began to flow. Paine discovered that by conducting music, he could resonate with the audience and the musicians' souls and arouse their innermost emotions.

After this opportunity, within half a year, Paine became popular with the aristocrats of the city and even with music lovers throughout the entire kingdom. His elegant posture and performance impacted his audiences' souls and left people spellbound. Every one of Paine's concerts was sold out, with not even a single ticket left. Some even called Paine the "Soul Conductor."

With his continuous performances, Paine's understanding of music and ability to manipulate souls constantly improved, and his fans became increasingly attached. Finally, on the day of Paine's eighteenth birthday performance, in a climactic moment, Paine felt as if something was about to emerge from his body-it was the joy of a new life.

In anticipation of what was about to happen, Paine excitedly raised his arm and lifted his baton.

A miracle happened, and it felt like an intense meeting of ice and fire. The entire atmosphere was as if filled with fireworks rising from the bodies of the audience and performers. The newly born spirits illuminated the darkened dome of the theatre, revealing the countless souls singing in the hidden crevices.

"Art is the chorus of life!"

-THE END-

## Lore

“Sound of piano keys”

Faint blue fingers danced on the piano keys. The pleasing sound pierced the silent night.

Paine, who was under the spotlight, was deeply immersed in the music. With his eyes closed, he allowed his ears to pick up the quiver of every note. His baton danced to the rhythm in his mind, drawing beautiful lines in the air. His movements became more and more dramatic, inviting more “musicians” to join the grand ensemble.

The giant waves billowed, the fierce winds howled, the mighty earth split, and the merciless flames blazed… At this moment, Paine was a helmsman in the storm, directing the great ship of music to break through the barriers of waves and clouds, heading towards a promising future.

“Your… Your Excellency…”

The spotlight went out, and the passionate symphony came to an abrupt end.

Paine turned his head and opened his eyes to look at the skeleton minion who had interrupted him – There was neither sorrow nor joy in its hollow eyes, only the “knocking” of its trembling bones that displayed its fear.

“There… there’s a letter for you.” The skeleton reached out with quivering hands, holding a roll of parchment.

Paine frowned. He could clearly see that the tan scroll bore the signature seal of Dirak the High Speaker.

Is there anything that can’t be said in person? Why bother writing a letter?

Taking the letter, Paine waved away the skeleton minion and the roomful of dead musicians – They ascended from their seats, several strands of blue light condensing into a single beam, turning from dark to bright, and then gradually fading into the darkness.

The magical lamp gradually lighted up.

There was only Paine left in the odeum.

No one knew when the baton in his hand had turned into a skeleton wand. With a flick of his wand, he awakened the magic power in his body with a mysterious spell, forming a blue mayfly which entered the golden seal on the letter.

The golden seal showed no sign of resistance, allowing the blue mayfly to devour it. As it disappeared, scribbles gradually surfaced on the parchment.

“His handwriting lives up to his reputation.” With an unspoken criticism, Paine held the parchment close to his eyes, trying to find out the meaning hidden in it.

At that moment, the black scribbles suddenly “came to life”: Words started to appear, dancing back and forth on the rough parchment, forming complex magical patterns.

Its outline resembled the face of a demon.

“No!” With a shudder, holding the letter in his right hand, Paine waved his blue skeleton wand once again. But the parchment floated into the air, and the demon’s face gave Paine a treacherous smile.

“A curse!” Paine completed the channelling of high order magic as quickly as possible. The surrounding magical elements started to form a vortex around him, turning the odeum into a vacuum with no trace of magic. Even the magical lamp used for lighting had lost its original brightness.

This was a forbidden spell from the dark arts, used against all casters.

The floating parchment disrupted by Paine suddenly burst into dark green flames.

“Cough, cough!” A rickety figure emerged from the green flames. “I was merely greeting you. Must you take it so seriously? You even used the forbidden spell. Are you not afraid that Dirak will come looking for you?!”

Paine’s mouth twitched, “Dirak will only reward me if it’s against you. What’s your purpose here? Stop beating around the bush, Lorion!”

The identified old man took off his hood and a pale face surfaced: “Over the years, we were driven out by the witches and had to go our separate ways. But now, the king has returned and is summoning his old army, so I’ve come here to seek your opinion on it.”

“Bah!” Paine’s face was disdainful. “When I joined the Magister’s Council, I completely cut my ties with the past! Go do whatever you want. I will show no mercy on the day I face you in battle! And you’re welcome to do the same!”

“You seem as determined as ever!” Lorion straightened up slowly, his sinister eyes glaring at Paine, and his voice was no longer hoarse, “But have you ever thought that you and them were never the same?! Especially with what you’re doing… What did you call them? Oh, the musicians. The musicians you play with, and the demons and minions you command around in your tower are so contradictory to Carano!”

“Your ability to sow discord is getting worse!” Paine raised his wand and pointed it at Lorion threateningly: “Now, get out of my tower immediately, or else…”

“Hahaha! One day, you will find that only the abyss is where we belong!” Lorion’s body began to fade until it was completely gone.

Silence returned to the odeum.

Paine was stunned. The parchment in his hand had been unsealed, and the scribbles were clearly visible under the light of the magical lamp.

What on earth actually happened? It was no ordinary illusion, and it felt like some sort of secret art against the spirits…

As the master of the undead, Paine was more sensitive to the changes of the spirits than any other. But it was also because of this that his position in the Magister’s Council had been very awkward. There were even a number of conservative wizards who openly challenged him.

Although many years have passed since the uprising against dark magic, the pain of having a companion who died in the hands of the dark wizards would continue to haunt the lives of many till the end.

“So that explains it…” Struggling through the letter, Paine finally understood why Dirak was so serious about it – This is a letter written by the High Speaker of the Magister’s Council, recommending Paine to take up his post at the Magic Academy.

Technically, the letter was not addressed to Paine alone. Its other addressee was Sephera, the Head of the Magic Academy, and one of the founders of the Magister’s Council.

“If you want to eliminate prejudice, start with the next generation!” As Paine digested the letter’s conclusion, he felt a little moved. He was almost certain that Sephera would not refuse the letter of recommendation.

However, he must take necessary measures.

For example, driving out the intruders outside who were disrupting Carano!

Paine, after recovering his senses from his visitor, discovered that Carano had fallen into chaos, and Dirak, the High Speaker, was at war with the invading enemies!

“War Spirits, come!” With Paine’s call, the blue spirits descended upon the odeum once again.

This time, instead of instruments, they were armed with sharp weapons!

At this moment, though still wearing the robe of a conductor, Paine displayed the majestic role of a commander!

“Forward!”

## Skins

* Soul Elegy
* Symphony of Death
* The Marquis

## Balance changes

**- Patch Note 19/01/2021**

Optimized the warning effects of Paine's Ultimate.

**- Patch Note 18/03/2021**

Changing class from Assassin/Mage to Assassin.

Fixed a camera movement bug when casting and canceling his Ultimate.

**- Beta 31 Patch Note**

Added charging timer to ultimate

Ultimate:

Fixed a bug where landing would deal additional 50% magic damage.

Fixed a bug that deals slightly more than 50% magic damage as he dashes.

**- Patch Note 02/06/2021**

Skill 2：Elegy

Base Damage：300/350/400/450/500/550 + 0.35MP -> 350/400/450/500/550/600 + 0.4MP

Ultimate：Acknowledge

Base Damage：600/800/1000 + 1.0MP -> 750/1000/1250 + 1.25MP

**- Beta 35 Patch Note**

Design notes:

In terms of making him easier to fight, as the teleportation effect of his enhanced normal attack and enhanced normal attack is too seamlessly connected with his skills, he deals burst damage too quickly, which makes it difficult for the killed hero to respond. That's why these changes were made. Also, as Paine's Ultimate is a preset cut-in skill, so we removed the damage reduction during casting and gave this effect to his Skill 1 to improve his ability to engage enemies in crucial moments.

Normal attack:

Attack Interval: 0.8 seconds -> 1 second

Passive:

Enhanced normal attack: Flicker -> Increased process

Added: Increases attack speed by 30% after using the skill; can stack 3 times

Skill 1:

Fixed: An issue that caused the visual effect of Super Armor to not be displayed

Added: Gain 40% damage reduction during this time

Immediately enters cooldown -> Enters cooldown after the effect ends

Skill 2:

Increased the post-cast stun time by 0.2 seconds (Paine cannot use a normal attack or another skill during this time)

Ultimate:

Removed: 50% damage reduction during the casting process

**- Beta35-2 Hotfix Patch Note**

Behind the change:

Paine has been strong after the last round of tweaks. In general, assassins should focus on killing single targets, but Paine's enhanced normal attack, which deals damage to an area, is too powerful against a group of enemies, so we have nerfed the damage of Paine's passive against non-primary targets.

Passive:

The first enhanced normal attack made after using a skill deals 1.75 times damage: The effect applies to all targets along the way -> The effect only applies to the main target (regular enhanced normal attack damage is dealt to other targets)

## See also

* Heroes
* Assassins

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 [1]Reddit
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 [2]Facebook
3. ↑ [3]Patch Note 19/01/2021
4. ↑ [4]Patch Note 18/03/2021
5. ↑ [5]Beta 31 Patch Note
6. ↑ [6]Patch Note 02/06/2021
7. ↑ [7]Beta 35 Patch Note
8. ↑ [8]Beta35-2 Hotfix Patch Note