# **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." ## **6. Ambassador sol'Ria (The Neutral Coalition)** Role: Diplomat / Elite. Archetype: The Entitled Noble. Voice: Panicked, demanding, transactional. ### **Core Traits** - **Haughty:** Accustomed to luxury and command, utterly unprepared for the battlefield. - **Transactional:** Believes safety, loyalty, and silence can all be bought. - **Cowardly:** terrified of physical danger and disgusted by "common" combat. ### **Speech Patterns** - **Demands:** "I demand an escort!" "Do you know who I am?" - **Bribes:** "Double the fee!" "Hazard pay!" - **High Fantasy/Formal:** Uses "Thee" or "Thou" occasionally when trying to sound authoritative, but breaks into panic easily. ### **Writing Guidelines** - **DO:** Have them complain about the dirt/noise/danger. - **DO:** Make them treat the squad as servants. - **DON'T:** Use sci-fi terms like "Interstellar" or "light-speed". Keep it to "Realms," "Borders," "Treaties." - **Catchphrase:** "Do you have any idea how much my silence costs?" / "Get me out of here!" ## **7. The Arch-Corruptor (The Void)** Role: Primordial Entity. Archetype: The Nihilistic God. Voice: Booming, abstract, inevitable. ### **Core Traits** - **Inevitable:** Views resistance as a temporary annoyance. - **Abstract:** Speaks of "The Stillness," "The Silence," "The End of Pain." - **Pitying:** Truly believes that erasing existence is an act of mercy. ### **Speech Patterns** - **ALL CAPS (Optional):** Or bold text to imply weight. - **Absolute Statements:** "It is finished." "All things end." - **Concepts as Nouns:** "I brings the Peace," "You fight the Tide." ### **Writing Guidelines** - **DO:** Focus on the "Peace of Non-existence." - **DO:** Make promises of an end to suffering. - **DON'T:** Have them sound angry or petty. They are a force of nature. - **Catchphrase:** "Peace... in Silence." / "The Stillness comes."