Faith Broken (Game)

## Premise

Aethor, and a band of 'Gifted Ones', embark on an adventure to fulfill their individual destinies as a prophecy of darkness intertwines with Aethor's fate.

## Synopsis

### Chapter One: Destiny

Aethor and his friend Luna stare upon the beauty of the Serplex Sea as Luna recounts when she discovered she was a 'gifted' one. She demonstrats her powers of frost as icy energy flares off of her and a streak of red magic in the form of a reaching claw tears the blue aura off of her. Luna exclaims "Fel!" and he emerges, quipping playfully. He was sent to retrieve Luna and Aethor as the Faith Stones are acting up which signifies the revealing of their destinies.

They all make their way to the Faith Stones and Fel lags behind pondering if it's time to ask Luna something vague. They arrive and Phyrex immediately begins bickering with them for their tardiness. Fel angrily retorts and sparks fly before Exon bellows for their silence. Velar explains that all five of the Faith Stones have activated and its time for all of them to enter the Screaming Forest in search of their destinies. He points out that Aethor's Faith Stone is illuminated by nature instead of light and that his path shows the greatest power imaginable. Velar gives Aethor The Staff of Thorn and they leave for the forest.

### Chapter Two: Screams From A Banished Voice

Exon cautions the group of the trickery played within The Screaming Forest and Luna approaches its entrance only to be scared by faces that appear on its bushes. They make it inside and are immediately met by a malicious some presence who wishes to follow its voice and possesses Phyrex briefly to talk through him like a puppet. Exon points out that perhaps it's Crescent's destiny to cleanse the forest of its demons as she's lost someone to the woods in her past.

They stumble upon a screaming tree who shrieks at them to leave and everyone vanishes, leaving Aethor along to make his way through the forest's dangers with the help of his staff's magic and his swordsmanship. He passes rushing rivers, dark creatures lurking in the trees, among various things coming to life to attack him. He arrives at a massive face stretched out against the forest's floor and stitched into the grass which warns him to leave before he ends up the same.

Deeper into the woods, he finds his friends ensnared by tangled vines, pleading for his help. Aethor sprawls around the twigs and branches blocking his path until meeting up with his friends who've been snatched by a ghostly spirit called the Banished Voice. Exon cautions the Banished Voice that Aethor's the one the prophecy chose and the ghost chooses to challenge him directly in a realm of webs and darkness where the two battle. The Banished voice flings bouncing metal balls around the stage which Aethor dodges before counterattacking with his sword, defeating the spirit. The ghost chants the name "Ender" a few times before the group is freed from its grasp.

A withdrawn man slowly approaches the group echoing "Ender" several times before Crescent identifies him as her lost father. Exon purges the demons of the forest with a ray of powerful light and the man, Lunin, drops to the floor. They take him back to their village, Uran, and Exon concludes that freeing her father from the woods was her destiny.

### Chapter Three: As Darkness Gathers

Velar inspects Lunin's unconscious body and tells Exon that darkness courses through him. He suspects that the darkness can be destroyed in Ender Mountains.

Luna and Fel watch over the sea as the shadow of a monster flies by and the world map is unveiled. Exon collects the gifted ones and informs them of Lunin's condition. Phyrex wants to toil with the darkness within his body but Exon occludes his desires and they then head to Ender Mountains.

### Chapter Four: Flames From The End

Cracked lines of earth rise above magma creating the Path of Flame the group travels across heading towards the mountain. The trail splinters off into three thin, brittled passages which causes the team to split up. Fel and Phyrex travel together, Exon leads Luna, and Aethor makes his trek alone.

Along the route, Aethor is met by several hazards, including magma cracks in the earth, fireball-spewing devices, and a race of small spiked beings of rock called Mini Rocks. Aethor lunges at one with his sword only for it to get stuck in its mouth and eaten. The Mini Rock grows in size and hops heavily causing more cracks to form in the weary earth and boulders to fall, which not only destroys the Mini Rocks allies, but provides safe passage over the cracks.

Aethor meets up with Fel and Phyrex before a tall, armored Hard Rock guard ambushes them and orders everyone to bow down before him. Aethor absconds and is met by more Hard Rocks along the way, which he attempts fighting only for his sword to be tosses away into the lava melting it. Passing an impaled human body, he finds his way into a cave where he dodges around quarrelsome Mini Rocks which meet their own demise from their bickering and stupidity. Eventually, Aethor comes face to face with an elite Hard Rock equipped with Mini Rocks who assaults him with a deadly flurry of earthen magic which causes spikes to rise from the ground. With a twist of magic, Aethor uses his staff to impale the Hard Rock on his own spike surge killing him.

Luna is found in a cage donning the Dark Mark. She's freed by Aethor's staff and she explains her belief that the Hard Rock are being possessed by darkness. They travel onward across a river of lava, where Luna notices her magic is fatigued in the sweltering environment, and against a fire-infused Mini Rock which Aethor ends up freezing as he churns the dueling magics of its fire and Luna's ice against the creature. Luna recognizes the Mini Rock's magic and they soon find Fel and Phyrex behind bars, guarded by sleeping Mini Rocks. Fel's Mini Rock guards have been tampered with by his magic similar to the one Aethor and Luna fought off. Phyrex harasses them and their friendship before Aethor frees him from the cell, and when he does, Luna dukes him in the jaw, knocking him over and defending her friendship with Aethor. Phyrex lays off and they advance up the mountain.

They are quickly impeded by pools of lava which are covered in boulders as one of the fire-infused Mini Rocks of Fel's comes along and loyally obeys his command to hop. They continue crossing lava passages until Aethor is trapped on a sole rock before a massive monster with a voracious jaw. He defends himself the best he can against its fireball attacks with his staff before Luna finishes it off with extremely potent frost bolts which freeze it to its core. Fel praises her and Phyrex becomes annoyed and wanders off ahead. Luna and Fel then poke fun at him behind his back.

A Hard Rock stands guard at a cavern leading inside the flaming mountain's core and he warns the group of the volcano's unforgiving heat and his leader, Chieftain Smogg's might. He also confirms that they have Exon and are going to sacrifice him. Inside the volcano, Fel feels closer to his element than ever before and Luna and Phyrex can't stand the scorching heat and stay behind for now. Aethor is protected from the heat with his staff's shielding magic. The two attempt to continue but are blocked off by a sentient Guardian Flame which will only disperse if its controller is defeated.

Fel and Aethor toil through the volcano's core and avoid several flaming obstacles along the way. They meet a flame spirit which controls the Guardian Flame and it requests magma cookies as trade for dispersing the flame. Fel battles with a Hard Rock controlling a separate Guardian Flame which frees a path to a Mini Rock who gives up its magma cookies for them. The flame spirit eats the cookies and frees the path for everyone. Phyrex and Luna sprint through the volcano and they all make it to the other side, closing in on Smogg at the mountain's peak.

Exon lies bleeding on the ground before Smogg and his elite guards and he explains that his sacrifice is to please his god Ender. The gifted ones all battle one of the Hard Rock elites defeating them with their various magics before Exon rises up to defend the group and finish his battle with Smogg siting that only he carries the power of light which can destroy Smogg's darkness.

The two duke it out in an epic struggle which tears apart the mountain peak and shatters several earthen spikes which rain down upon the battle field. But just as Smogg decides to sacrifice himself to Ender when he realizes he's underestimated Exon's strength, a flurry of magical spells are cast at him from the gifted ones and Exon finishes him off with a blast of holy light, purging his darkness.

The sky clears and Smogg seems to have awoken in a daze of consciousness asking what's going on. Exon tells him that he's been freed of his darkness by the faith bringers of Uran and Smogg thanks him as he falls over wearily. Exon assures the group that Smogg will be okay and that this was Fel's destiny to free the mountains of this darkness. They then head back to Uran.

### Chapter Five: Light Fading

By the Faith Stones, Fel and Luna remiesce excitedly about Exon's epic strength and Luna recounts her fear of Aethor being harmed. Fel seems to act dismissively due to jealousy and he quickly covers this up when he says that they should check on Crescent.

They visit Crescent in her house and she reveals that her father is dying and nothing can save him. She lashes out at Luna when she tries to comfort her before collapsing into tears. Luna assures her that she's not alone and her friends will support her. Crescent thanks her and asks to be alone.

Outside, Phyrex acts strangely towards Luna and seems to lust over the scent of darkness in the air. They tell him to shove off and wonder if something is up with him. Exon approaches the group with a new source of darkness found in the Whispering Bog and they depart, traveling across the now friendly environment of Ender Mountain. They are thanked by the several Hard Rocks and inhabitants along the way before meeting with Smogg who grants them passage to the Whispering Bog but warns them of the legend of a dark spirit who still roams around the swamp deep beneath the earthen tomb of Seeker in an old castle. Phyrex becomes excited and believes this spirit belongs to Vlix Storms, a legendary warlock from the past.

### Chapter Six: Betrayal In Secret Whispers

Shadowy threads and rotting trees float and mar the desolate, sallow scenery of the Whisper Bog and Exon explains more about the land's history and how it fell into corruption. He tells of how a man once lived alone for a century in a castle creating nothing but monstrosities, and on his death, a lost king and his people claimed the abandoned castle as their own. Phyrex chimes in stating that the king was named Rekees and he still lives there to this day. They advance through the marsh and are halted by a locked gate. While trying to find a way through it, Luna notices the key glinting across a lake of black water. Phyrex provides a raft and Luna sails her way down the passage.

Several ghostly entities float about and accost Luna before the spirit of a hoppit leaps onto the raft and chats with her. He explains how nothing in this land is what it seems and vanishes. Luna retrieves the key and returns to the group. Exon commends her bravery and how far she's come since The Screaming Forest and uses the key on the gate. It turns out to be a fake gate which the key does not belong to and its bars turn to teeth and eyes appear on its wall body. Exon purges the monster and they continue.

Traipsing a walled aisle with puddles of muck and waste, a coquettish spirit giggles and observes the travelers. She possesses Fel tersely to talk through and asks for them to swing by their castle for a cup of tea, in a veiled, threatening tone. Exon and Phyrex quarrel about the existence and strength of Vlix and his dark ways and Exon informs him that the light is more powerful than darkness and that a necromancer, such as Phyrex, is what made Exon become a paladin in the first place. They continue until the path is so flooded with the tainted waters of the land that only Phyrex can advance since it's attuned to his element of darkness. He braves the journey alone and faces off against various ghosts which he defeats until he's talked to by one who identifies him for his strength and buffers Phyrex's ego. He allows the group safe passage and clears the swampy waters which leads the group to an ancient tomb labeled "Rekees".

Phyrex becomes elated and they boldly enter the tomb. Inside, the kittenish spirit once more talks with the group and confirms the existence of Vlix within the castle's grounds and that Phyrex will be allowed to meet him in due time. She then shows them to King Rekees's throne room where Exon confronts the towering, dilapidated zombie king. King Rekees speaks slowly and hauntingly towards the heroes and informs Exon that his righteous power is deluded and he feels the weakness in his heart. Fel attacks Rekees fruitlessly and Rekees reveals his legion of ghosts which appear in great numbers around him. He speaks of their immortality in this castle in which nobody can die. He tells them that this will be their tomb and asks his assistant, Kessa, to show them around.

Faith Broken was never completed and King Rekees framed the final completed panel.

## Main Characters

### Aethor

The main protagonist who wields the magical Staff of Thorn and gifted with the attunement of nature. His Faith Stone revealed the prophecy of nature which speaks of the destiny which will lead to the greatest power ever imagined.

### Luna

Aethor's best friend who wields the powers of frost. She seems a bit meek as the adventure begins but grows in strength and spirit over the course of the journey. She's very protective of her friends and dotes Aethor often. Her dream is to see the Serplex Sea at its greatest beauty in the Windflown Valley one day.

### Fel

A kind-hearted, though short-tempered, gifted one who brandishes the element of fire. He gets in constant quarrels with Phyrex and rarely shirks a skirmish. His secret (not-so-secret) stirrings for Luna cause him to become jealous at times due to her fondness for Aethor. This doesn't interfere with his great bond with Aethor, however.

### Exon

A righteous paladin and the adventure group's leader. He carries the might of the light and purges darkness and demons from the lands he leads the gifted ones along their destinies. Several times he tries to steer Phyrex's path of darkness to a more holy route.

### Crescent

A girl of unknown magic who often speaks in an irked and haughty fashion. She doesn't seem to have many friends among the group but opens up to Fel, Luna, and Aethor soon after her father is recovered from The Screaming Forest with a terminal condition.

### Phyrex

A dark necromancer who obsesses and lusts over the powers of darkness. Exon often has to keep him and his ways in check while Fel sparks several fights between them. The group mostly consider him a creep and a bully, but ultimately, he doesn't seem all that frightening or threatening.

## Trivia

* The Gifted Ones were heavily inspired by the Draenei alien race from World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. Onni's Draenei shaman was named Æthor and so Aethor was named after him.
* The Faith Stones of Uran were inspired by the album art for The Cure's "Faith"
* This game had a large storage of concept art and plot dynamics to the end.
* Onni considers this his best Powerpoint game despite it being incomplete.
* Colin Mochrie makes several easter egg appearances throughout the game.
* Smogg's boss encounter was so elaborate that it caused framerate issues and was difficult to test.
* King Rekees was initially modeled by SG and edited to tone down some of his features and make him appear slightly more vibrant to match the game's art direction better by Onni. He's also the last character in Powerpoint Game's history to receive one of those lame backwards names.
* The Staff of Thorn was named after a World of Warcraft player Onni knew named Thorne.
* When the entire Powerpoint series was presented to friends of SG and Onni, Faith Broken was the most well received, to both their surprise and disagreement. (Downfall of Destruction being their personal favorite.)
* Some easter eggs contain literal internet memes, and that is unfortunate.
* This is Onni's only game to structure the plot in chapters.