In the world of Battlegate, aether is the primordial substance of the universe, the unitary source of all substances and energies, encircling, embracing, and interpenetrating everything from beginning to end. It is the medium for conveying energy and the vehicle for performing magic. Performing magic or moving energy requires the capability to mold and bend aether, a skill that is typically not inherent, but learned.
Aether Master
An aether master is a student of the art and science of bending aether to perform magic or move energy. A true Master is typically a member of the Sky Kingdom Order who is officially trained to perform magic. While the Sky Kingdom requires its subjects that work with the aether to be ordained, you'll find many people throughout the world practicing unsanctioned magic. True aether masters come from the Sky Kingdom, high above the lands of Battlegate.
Colonel Agosto Banistero is the regional military commander and public administrator of the northern Battlegate prefectures. He is headquartered in Tovalin. The Colonel is a heavily decorated military officer, having devoted his life to the service of the empire. He is most respected for helping the empire expand its borders northward. He is on the verge of promotion to General, having turned down the promotion on several occasions to bring stability to the northern prefectures
Battlegate, Empire (Republic) of
Battlegate is an ancient, vastly fragmented empire with amazing people, deep-rooted and varied cultures and magical creatures within its mountainous boundaries. It is a land of contrasts and is known for ancient tribes that have the wisdom to control the universal aether. The empire was built over decades of conquest, earning the nation's notorious name. Seven former nations are part of the empire, each contributing to the amazing mix of culture and technology found here.
Battlegate is actually a unique fantasy nation, with a mix of magical creatures, Aether-powered technology, ancient tribes, and modern marvels.
Artistically, the world of Battlegate is dominated by Mediterranean design and architecture, invoking themes of the legendary Spanish Empire. The leader of the empire is the Chairman.
Benicio of Sky's Edge
Benicio was one of Layla's older brothers who went missing after the army came and took their father, Omar, away. It has been over 14 years since he was kidnapped at age 5. Mercedes and Layla are the only known survivors of the family and have accepted the missing brothers as dead.
(Pop. 33,300) Cantori is located about a 4 days travel through the Quemada Desert from Banistero and is nestled on the rocky coast of the Casta Ocean. Cantori was once a major port and fishing town until new settlers escaping painful pasts from other towns made it more and more isolated from the rest of the empire. Its citizens are suspicious of most outsiders and would prefer to be left to their peaceful, quiet existence.
In a dream, Hugo visualizes a figure who taunts him. From the context, we can assume that Hugo has been visited by this character on several occassions. At this point, this is all we know.
Diego
Diego is a close friend of Marco Paolo's who has known him since they were children. They joined the military together since their families had long traditions of serving the kingdom through combat service.
Esteban is Quito's adopted son. He's a laid back, street-smart, 14-year-old boy who reluctantly does his daily work on the piers to help his foster father. When the workday's done, he takes off to hang with his friends and flirt with town girls. Although he considers Cantori his hometown, Esteban was brought to Cantori by Quito as a refugee when he was only 2 years old. We learn that Esteban is Mercedes' long lost son.
Marco's infamous "Green Book" appears first in Chapter 2. Although it hasn't an official title, the "Green Book" is issued to empire parole officers to record merits and demerits given to the parolee. Battlegate parole officers are given wide power over their parolees, and can extend their parole times indefinitely should they see fit.
The Grand Fate
The Great Machine is the aetherial backbone of the universe. When a person is born, their Gear of Destiny is added to this great machine. Once a person dies, their gear crumbles, changing the rotation of all gears. Thus, each person has an effect on the whole world.
A mysterious man who accompanies Major Turi at Quito's dock house. He has been studying the Hodakan history and has helped Turi construct a device that can apparently take Hugo's mysterious powers and harbor them.
Hugo Hodako
Hugo is a young teenage boy who has been detained at the Banistero mining camp since he was 11. His true past is shrouded in mystery and kingdom officials heavily guard the reasons for his imprisonment. Now 14, Hugo has been placed on parole by order of the King under the reluctant watch of Lt. Marco Paolo. While charming in his own boyish way,
Hugo's attitude, dangerous curiosity, and notorious kleptomania have done nothing but frustrate Marco and extend his parole time. Hugo is a complex character. While annoying Marco with his comedic, childish pranks and complicated teen angst issues, we discover that Hugo is wrestling with his secret dark past.
15-year-old Layla is one of four masters that have been sent from Sky’s Edge to locate the source of her kingdom’s pending destruction. Perhaps by fate, she meets Hugo and discovers that his amazing powers are responsible for the Sky Kingdom’s terrible mess. To make matters worse, only by sacrificing his life through an ancient mechanism can stability be returned to the aether and restore the Sky Kingdom’s place in the heavens. Faced with expulsion from her Order for insubordination, Layla is torn between her feelings of compassion for Hugo’s situation and doing the right thing to save her world.
Lehveen
Lehveen are giant, slug-like creatures that are known to inhabit the beach desert near the coastal town of Cantori. They are incredibly aggressive, and feast on any living creature they encounter - even resorting to cannibalism - to satisfy their unending appetites. A Lehveen is the first creature encountered in Battlegate shortly after Marco and Hugo leave Banistero village.
Lukas of Sky's Edge
Lukas was one of Layla's older brothers who went missing after the army came and took their father, Omar, away. It has been over 14 years since he was kidnapped at age 6. Mercedes and Layla are the only known survivors of the family and have accepted the missing brothers as dead.
Mercedes is the owner of the Cantori Inn and Layla's mother. A somewhat bitter woman of great experience and wisdom, Mercedes escaped a painful past in a far away town to start a new life in Cantori many years ago. She carries a deep distrust of the Battlegate military and other empire officials.
Meriko, Village Of
(Pop. 300) Meriko is a small forest village in the eastern Battlegate empire where Mercedes and her family once lived. Its significance will be revealed later in Chapter 2.
Merstang
Merstangs are quite common in the salt water oceans throughout the world, they're largely tamed, and stay close to the shoreline. They resemble large seahorses and are used by coastal dwellers as personal modes of water transportation or as pets. The great King Merstangs live in the deep ocean and are many times larger than standard merstangs. Although rare, fresh water merstangs exist.
Omar was the father of Layla, Benicio and Lukas and the husband of Mercedes. In a backstory told by Mercedes to Layla we find out that the empire had been searching for him for sometime and had finally apprehended Omar. It has been over 14 years since he was taken and is presumed executed.
The Order
One of the oldest and most admired orders of aether masters in the realm, this secret society is known simply as the “Order.” It has played a tremendous, yet mostly unrecorded role in the history of the world. Thanks to their intervention, they have spared the world from the ravages of the Red Symphony, a supernatural mechanism invoked by the massive distortion of the universal aether.
The Order is based in the Sky Kingdom’s capital, Sky’s Edge. The Sky Kingdom’s leadership has commanded the Order to root-out the cause behind the Sky Kingdom’s disintegration and bring the culprits to justice.
Marco, 18, is a young soldier starting his career at a criminal detention camp in the Northern Prefectures of the empire. Born into a well-respected family with deep roots in military and political service, Marco has some very large boots to fill. Although he’s a playboy with a healthy appetite for big parties and pretty ladies, he takes his career very seriously.
Marco is rather self-absorbed, although his charm can temper the blatant vanity. He's very proud of his early accomplishments and was, until recently, very certain of his future as an officer. Hand-picked by the Chairman as Hugo Hodako's parole officer, Marco must watch over Hugo until his 16th birthday. Marco knows that his future depends on this seemingly ridiculous assignment, and he very relunctantly agrees to parole (or “baby-sit” as he sees it) Hugo.
Quito (pronounced KEY-toe) is the dock master of the Cantori wharf and runs a small fishing operation on the side to make ends meet. He is a very respected man amongst his fellow dock workers and other people in the town. He is an intensely private man, like many others in Cantori who came to the town to escape a very painful past. He and his adopted son Esteban, came to Cantori about twelve years ago under mysterious circumstances. We discover that it was actually Quito who killed Mercedes' family and took baby Esteban as his adopted son over 15 years ago.
Quito's Dockhouse
Dockmaster Quito's warehouse on the Cantori wharf was once Quito and Esteban's innocent place of business and residence. In Chapter 4 it is revealed that Major Turi has taken over the dock house to serve as a cover for his plans to overthrow the empire.
The Red Symphony is an ancient, supernatural mechanism that is invoked when the universal aether has been too vastly distorted. Although its natural, intended purpose is to restore the aether to its natural state, it could have potentially catastrophic, worldwide effects if harnessed as a weapon. Layla tells Hugo that only two recorded occurrences of the Red Symphony have actually happened. It was the reason for the destruction of the Sunken Empire. The mysterious second invocation of the Red Symphony, while much smaller, damaged the Sky Kingdom and led to her assignment to find its cause.
Countess Reigna
The Contessa Reigna was just named prefect of the northeastern prefecture, putting the fiercely independent Cantori Town and Banistero under her control. Her family has been influential in the Battlegate kingdom for generations.
The Sky Kingdom is a realm high above the earth where ancient Aether Masters ascended to protect the secrets of the aether.
Sky Totems
The mysterious megalith that first appears in Hugo's nightmare is a Sky Totem. While it's true nature is unclear, there seems to be a connection to the figure of Darkness that emerges from it in Hugo's vision.
When the Sky Kingdom nearly collapsed on the invocation of the first Red Symphony, many of these statues fell to earth.
Seraphim Staff
The Seraphim Staff was given to Layla upon her ordination as an Aether Master by the head of the Cantori Topherian Order. Rarely is such a priceless item given to just any anyone, signifying Layla's honorable achievements as a student of aether mastery. The staff amplifies the user's control over the aether, exponentially increasing their powers.
16-year-old Tino is a member of the Topherian Knights, a sect of the Order that is loyal only to its Aether Masters.
Tovalin, Town Of
(Pop. 7,500) The border Town of Tovalin is the regional military capital for the Northern Prefectures and is home to one of the empire's legendary military academies. We first meet Hugo, Marco, and Col. Agosto Banistero here.
Alexandro Turi
Turi and Marco had trained together as cadets and subsequently served their first posts together guarding Banistero Town before Turi mysteriously disappeared. Now, Major Turi has reappeared as the empire official in charge of the Cantori Town and ports. As the first antagonist Hugo and Marko encounter, Turi enlists the mysterious Dr. Hincle to help him extract Hugo’s powers.
