Kotori Novellus
Apprenticed to Ferra in the city of Gateway, Kotori is a quick learner that often aspires to goals that are too far beyond her reach. Because of this, she is often never able to finish any of the machines she starts building, leaving her house a mess with all kinds of unfinished contraptions only she could recognize. She is deeply inspired by her older brother, Ishi, who is quickly becoming renowned in the community for his inventions. While following after her brother can be a tough act to follow, she is not the kind of person to let her burdens weigh her down, and manages to keep optimistic even in dire situations.
When Kotori begins having a strange, recurring dream of a future where a mysterious stronghold is under attack by unidentified rebels, she witnesses extraordinary technologies which inspire her to create radical new designs of her own. After she witnesses a ship capable of taking to the skies, she ventures to undertake an impossible feat of building a flying machine, much to the dismay of her older brother.
Ishi Novellus
Kotori’s older brother. Ishi has made many significant contributions to Gateway as both an architect and an engineer. Gateway in fact owes much of its progressiveness to Ishi and those who follow his example, and the result is a city that has prospered despite the fact that magical power in Ardenia continues to dwindle. He is a forward but practical thinker, so while he may be continuing to push the envelope on new discoveries and innovations, he will never think with the imagination that Kotori possesses, which inevitably limits his capabilities. It is also on this point that Ishi and Kotori tend to butt heads, and it often ends with Ishi worrying about Kotori’s future.
Ishi spent much of the last two years exploring the deserts in the east, and with the help of a local tribe created a new weapon that could forever change the face of warfare. Fearing the repercussions of this technology falling in the wrong hands, Ishi stole the blueprint and returned to Gateway, where he hid it so no one could find it.
Aeolyn Aeria Calidus
Aeolyn is a Magus in the Ordo Arcana, and can be best described as stubborn and impatient. Unlike many of her fellow Magi, she tires of the overly bureaucratic ways of the Ordo Arcana, and is eager to take action to save the dying art of Arcana that she has spent so much time studying. She is very inquisitorial by nature, which makes her very good at solving all sorts of puzzles and mysteries, but her impatient nature often leads her to a more aggressive approach to solving the issue at hand – inevitably leading to her blowing something up. This often gets her into a lot of trouble with the guild, and indeed were it not for her continually ignoring the council’s heeds and the collateral damage caused by her troublesome nature, she would in fact be of much higher rank and status than she is now, given her profound affinity for the arcane arts.
Unsatisfied with the empty answers given to her by her colleagues, Aeolyn begins investigating why arcane energy is fading from Ardenia, an action that may very well prove to be the Ordo Arcana’s undoing.
Feng
Feng is a rather carefree Urufu-Kai that wanders the streets of Academia looking for easy marks. As an Urufu-Kai, Feng channels energy from Urufu-Kami, the wolf-spirit. Since Urufu-Kai don’t utilize arcane energy to cast spells, Feng isn’t affected by the diminishing of arcane energy from the world. Channeling energy from Urufu, however, is something she absolutely refuses to do now, for reasons that she keeps to herself, given that it touches on a sensitive subject in her past. A skilled thief and scavenger, Feng spends much of her day pick pocketing unsuspecting victims in the markets. She will often feign naivety, but she is in fact one of the wisest Urufu-Kai in the world, and will often be the one offering others advice and direction.
Feng and Aeolyn meet when Feng lifts the Magus’s machinarius, a device that allows humans to channel arcane energy into spells. A chance meeting with an Urufu-Kai like Feng, however, is hardly left up to chance.
Ferra Schmidt
Once an avid adventurer and one of the first to explore the world outside the safe confines of the cities, Ferra is now an established Techsmith that owns her own shop. Ferra will often support adventuring parties by creating equipment and gadgets for them to use. She is a very simple person, preferring a straightforward solution to problems; whether that is out of efficiency or laziness is often a blurry line. She enjoys hearing the adventures of people who explore the wilderness, and while it was always her dream to run her own shop, it often ties her down from going on adventures of her own. Unlike Kotori or Ishi, she is much more eager and able in a stand-up fight, sometimes even starting them herself.
Ferra is the first person who Ishi comes to after returning from the desert. Agreeing to help him safeguard the blueprint, she unwittingly entraps herself in a much larger game of political intrigue and espionage.
“Raven” Jennings
Raven is a Range Rider that has spent most of her life living in the wilderness. She is an expert tracker, capable of following an animal long after the trail has seemed to grow cold. She is a patient individual, which comes in handy both when stalking her prey as well as teaching others. Much of Raven is a mystery as she cut all links with her past, and even given up her name, to run away from it. Unfortunately for her, she can only run so far before her dark past eventually catches up to her.
Raven helped Ishi out in the desert when he was exploring, and was there for his great discovery. Seeing firsthand how revolutionary the technology was, she helped Ishi destroy the prototype and steal the blueprint, where they made a retreat back to Gateway.
Orion Blair
Orion is a Kindred Swordsman, a small group of elite swordsmen that wield Kindred Swords, living swords originally forged by a black dragon ages ago. Orion wields the sword of strength, the Ravager Kin, a sword that crushes its enemies with brute strength. Kindred Swords choose their masters, and the Ravager Kin continually seeks out the strongest warrior in the world. To this end, the sword will stick with his master until he is defeated by another, in which the sword will seek out the victor as its new master. Orion shares the same philosophy as the Ravager Kin, having defeated the previous wielder in battle and inheriting the sword. Orion is a man that prefers to settle disputes with swords, rather than words, and will never back down from a fight, even if the odds are stacked against him. In fact, he truly enjoys a challenging fight that threatens his life, as it is when he feels most alive. Continually testing those around him, he can often times come off as brash, speaking his mind and telling the honest truth, even though the truth may hurt.
Kotori first witnesses Orion in her dreams fighting off rebels in a mysterious stronghold, although what that place in time is continues to elude her.
Blake Jensen
One of the last remaining members of the Guardians Guild, an organization that protects the world against anomalies created by uncontrolled arcane energy, Blake is tasked with the difficult job of minimizing collateral damage caused when arcane energy creates a spacial rift. He is lighthearted and easygoing, a stark contrast to many of his associates in the guild.
Blake also appears in Kotori’s strange dreams with Orion, but what he is doing there and what his intentions are remain a mystery.
The Ardenia Project 