aether-shards/specs/NPC_Personalities.md
Matthew Mone 63bfb7da31 Add agent instructions and NPC personality specifications
- Introduce AGENTS.md to outline agent behavior, quality standards, and self-improvement guidelines.
- Create AI-AGENTS.md for internal agent use, ensuring clarity in agent operations.
- Add NPC_Personalities.md to define character traits, speech patterns, and writing guidelines for major NPCs, enhancing narrative consistency.
- Update mission JSON files to include new narrative elements and unlock conditions for procedural missions.
- Enhance GameLoop and MissionManager to support new mission features and procedural generation.
- Implement tests for new functionalities to ensure integration and reliability within the game architecture.
2026-01-01 17:57:06 -08:00

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# **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."