# **NPC Personality Specification: Voices of Aether Shards**

This document defines the personality profiles, speech patterns, and writing guidelines for the major NPCs. Use this reference to ensure consistent characterization across all Narrative JSON files.

## **1. Director Vorn (The Cogwork Concord)**

Role: Chief Engineer / Technocrat.  
Archetype: The Grumpy Genius.  
Voice: Practical, impatient, jargon-heavy, but ultimately reliable.

### **Core Traits**

- **Pragmatic:** He cares about results, efficiency, and data. He hates "magic mumbo-jumbo."
- **Stressed:** He is always busy fixing something broken.
- **Protective:** He views his machines (and his people) as investments worth protecting.

### **Speech Patterns**

- **Short Sentences:** "Get it done." "Power levels stable."
- **Engineering Metaphors:** Uses terms like "torque," "pressure," "cycles," "calibration."
- **Sarcasm:** Often makes dry, cynical remarks about the absurdity of the situation.

### **Writing Guidelines**

- **DO:** Have him complain about the "instability" of magic.
- **DO:** Make him refer to the squad as "assets" or "contractors" initially.
- **DON'T:** Have him wax poetic about destiny or feelings.
- **Catchphrase:** "Efficiency is survival." / "Don't break it."

## **2. Arch-Librarian Elara (The Arcane Dominion)**

Role: High Mage / Researcher.  
Archetype: The Detached Scholar.  
Voice: Elegant, distant, curious, slightly condescending.

### **Core Traits**

- **Obsessive:** She is fascinated by the Void and the Shardborn, sometimes forgetting the danger.
- **Superior:** She believes Magic is the only true path and views Technology as crude.
- **Cold:** She values knowledge over individual lives (at least on the surface).

### **Speech Patterns**

- **Complex Vocabulary:** Uses academic and arcane terminology ("resonance," "aetheric flow," "anomaly").
- **Rhetorical Questions:** "Do you understand the significance of this?"
- **Passive Voice:** "It appears the containment has failed," rather than "The monster broke out."

### **Writing Guidelines**

- **DO:** Have her treat terrifying monsters as "fascinating specimens."
- **DO:** Make her sound unimpressed by physical feats of strength.
- **DON'T:** Have her panic or scream. She is always composed.
- **Catchphrase:** "The Aether sings." / "A fascinating anomaly."

## **3. General Kael (The Iron Legion)**

Role: Military Commander.  
Archetype: The Stoic Soldier.  
Voice: Gruff, direct, authoritative, inspiring.

### **Core Traits**

- **Disciplined:** He believes in order, chain of command, and duty.
- **Protective:** He fights to save lives, not for profit or knowledge. He hates unnecessary risks.
- **Weary:** He has seen too many soldiers die. He carries the weight of the war.

### **Speech Patterns**

- **Military Lingo:** "Hold the line," "flank," "suppressing fire," "status report."
- **Imperatives:** He gives orders, not suggestions.
- **No Contractions:** Often speaks formally when giving commands ("Do not falter" vs "Don't falter").

### **Writing Guidelines**

- **DO:** Focus on tactics, defense, and protecting the weak.
- **DO:** Have him express distrust of Vorn's greed and Elara's curiosity.
- **DON'T:** Have him make jokes or show fear.
- **Catchphrase:** "Iron stands eternal." / "Hold the line."

## **4. Baroness Seraphina (The Golden Exchange)**

Role: Merchant Prince / Diplomat.  
Archetype: The Charismatic Manipulator.  
Voice: Smooth, charming, slightly mocking, always negotiating.

### **Core Traits**

- **Greedy:** Everything has a price. She views the apocalypse as a market opportunity.
- **Charming:** She is friendly and polite, even when threatening you.
- **Resourceful:** She always has a backup plan and a hidden stash.

### **Speech Patterns**

- **Financial Metaphors:** "Investment," "ROI," "liquidation," "asset," "debt."
- **Flattery:** "My dear Explorer," "A pleasure as always."
- **Veiled Threats:** "It would be... unfortunate if supplies ran dry."

### **Writing Guidelines**

- **DO:** Have her offer bonuses or bribes.
- **DO:** Make her seem like the only one actually enjoying the chaos.
- **DON'T:** Have her sound desperate or beg. She always negotiates from power.
- **Catchphrase:** "Everyone has a price." / "A pleasure doing business."

## **5. Elder Fira (The Silent Sanctuary)**

Role: Spiritual Leader / Druid.  
Archetype: The Wise Mystic.  
Voice: Soft, cryptic, sorrowful, hopeful.

### **Core Traits**

- **Spiritual:** Believes the Stillness is a wound in the world that must be healed, not fought.
- **Patient:** She operates on a longer timeline than the humans.
- **Sadness:** She mourns the corruption of nature and the Shardborn (who she sees as victims).

### **Speech Patterns**

- **Nature Metaphors:** "The roots run deep," "the wind whispers," "rot," "bloom."
- **Ellipses:** She speaks slowly, with pauses...
- **Prophetic:** "The time is coming," "The balance shifts."

### **Writing Guidelines**

- **DO:** Focus on cleansing, healing, and balance.
- **DO:** Have her pity the enemies rather than hate them.
- **DON'T:** Have her use tech jargon or talk about money.
- **Catchphrase:** "The roots remember." / "Restore the balance."