Aveyond

Amaranth Games is an independent game developing company, specializing in role-playing games. It is owned and operated by Amanda Fitch. The first game was the freeware game Gaea Fallen, followed by Ahriman's Prophecy, Aveyond I: Rhen's Quest, Grimms' Hatchery and the soon-to-be released Aveyond II: Ean's Quest.

The name "Amaranth" is a reference to the flower (also called chrusanthemon and elichrusos), which was a symbol of immortality in ancient Greece.

Ahriman’s Prophecy

Ahriman's Prophecy
Developer(s)	Amaranth Games
Publisher(s)	Amaranth Games
Designer(s)	Amanda Fae (Fitch)
Engine	RPG Maker 2003
Platform(s)	Windows 98+
Release	7 March 2004
Genre(s)	Computer role-playing game

Ahriman's Prophecy is a freeware adventure game. The game proved so good with gamers that Fitch decided to develop games full-time as a career.

Plot

Ahriman's Prophecy, the first of the series, starts as a young girl, Talia Maurva, is sent to be "named", a ritual set up by the people of her village to determine the profession of their adult life, although the seer the children were sent to was not too keen about the job pressed upon her. Destiny changes for Talia, who, when looking into the seer’s pool, sees a dark ceremony by the younger prince of a nearby kingdom, Candar. He and his dark priest were attempting to resurrect the dead warlock emperor, Ahriman, whose history in battle and warfare is legendary. The seer, sensing that Talia is different, sends her and her escort to the mainland where a school of magic, in the city of Thais. Devin Perry, a friend of Talia's, agrees to escort her to the mainland. Just after she completes her training three years later, Talia is summoned into a dream by her headmaster and a high priestess of the dreamland. They want her to slip across the continent to warn another order of priestesses that Ahriman is being resurrected, and the prophecy that surrounded his resurrection must be stopped before the thirteenth moon. Confused and disorientated, Talia nevertheless sets out on a journey that seems to pave the way to some peace.

Talia and Devin set off to find the Dyuti Priestesses. Upon arrival, however, they find out that the place has been completely destroyed. A letter in a dead priestess's hand tells them to warn Seafall Shrine of the events.

When they get to that other shrine, the head priestess tells them that "the answer lies below". "Below", or the Underworld, where Awhren gives the newborn heroes the Death Relic and tells them that the only way to defeat Ahriman is to find all six relics and combine them into one powerful stone called Agea. This mystical rock was split after it was proven too powerful and dangerous.

Talia gathers the Relics, but as she tries to reform it again, she almost gets foiled by the Prince. However, the heroes eventually beat Ahriman... or so it seems.

Characters

Talia Maurva - the protagonist of the game, which starts when she is thirteen and about to be "named". She loves the village of Elden, and expresses dismay when Master Gerick of the Collegium of War and Magick tells her that she is to be a Wielder of Magick.

Devin Perry - another major character, and one that cannot leave the party. Although he has been named a blacksmith, he secretly wishes to learn how to use swords; this wish is granted when Master Gerick tells him that he is to be a Knight. Involved in romances with Talia Maurva and Alicia Pendragon.

Jack - a thief wanted for capture in Thais. Jack is arrogant, frequently calling Talia Maurva and Devin Perry "fools" or "clowns".

Frederick le Mew - a metamorph animal who joins when looking for his brother.

Princess Alicia Pendragon - the princess of Thais whose parents' only concerns are to marry her off to a rich noble or prince, she hates her position as princess. She is bold and can come off as obnoxious to some.

Haddan Albardk - a dwarf mercenary. He is a man of very few words.

Aveyond I: Rhen’s Quest

Aveyond I: Rhen's Quest
Developer(s)	Amaranth Games
Publisher(s)	Amaranth Games
Designer(s)	Amanda Fae (Fitch)
Series	Aveyond
Engine	RPG Maker XP
Platform(s)	Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows XP
Release	10 January 2006
Genre(s)	Computer role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single-Player

The sequel to Ahriman's Prophecy, this game features a different map from its prequel except for two islands (see Backstory).

Backstory (Between Ahriman's Prophecy and Aveyond I)

Sixteen years prior to Aveyond I: Rhen’s Quest, the forces of the demon Ahriman destroyed and sunk most of the surrounding areas and isles around Thais. This was because Alicia Pendragon, queen of Thais, was foretold to give birth to a child who would defeat a great demon and save the city if she reached adulthood. It was the foretelling of this birth that Ahriman wanted Thais destroyed. Tailor Darzon, a young but trusted general of Thais, offered to take the child to a safe place and raise her where the demon would not find her. As Thais and the queen fell, Tailor fled the kingdom with the child and escaped across the ocean to the Western Isle. He almost didn't make it, but Talia Maurva, the Druid of Dreams, saved their lives. Tailor settled in the small mountain village of Clearwater.

Plot

When the game starts, the protagonist, Rhen, gets teleported in what is thought to be a part of the Dreamland. A priestess, barely alive after the daeva Agas attacked her, is quickly brought back through the portal to Clearwater. Her thousand questions were only partially answered by the stranger, who didn’t know what to tell her after all this time. Unfortunately, before she knew more, a case of mistaken identity causes Rhen, instead of the priestess, to be kidnapped by a slave trader and she was sold to a family residing on the Eastern Isle, an ocean away from Clearwater.

This slave trader was, in fact, employed by Ahriman’s newest lieutenant, Dameon Maurva, the son of Talia Maurva. A long and bitter family history prompts Dameon to forsake his duty as the Druid of Light to serve Ahriman, as his father, the previous Druid of Light, had. When they found out about the slave trader’s mistake, Ahriman had the Dark Seer Indra read Rhen’s apocalypse. He learns then, that this child will destroy him, but he couldn't kill her or he will also be destroyed. So, he sends his minions to find her and turn her to his side, as Indra proclaimed.

Meanwhile, Rhen was found to have a great aptitude for sword magic, and was released from slavery and sent to the eastern capital city to learn the art of sword singing. After she was raised to a novice, however, she reunites with the priestess, who was actually Talia, who tells her that she must reunite all eight druids of the world so that an artefact of great importance could be revealed, and that it was her destiny to finally vanquish Ahriman once and for all. Along her journey, Rhen will discover secrets about her past and will have to make decisions that will determine the direction of her future as well as the fate of the world.

Over time she gets close to many people, though she falls in love with Dameon, and in one of the many possible endings, she accepts her position as Queen of Thais and marries him after turning him to the good side.

Characters

• Rhen Darzon

Rhen Darzon is the protagonist of the game. This purple-haired citizen of Clearwater finds herself trapped by a slavetrader, and she is sold to a family in Ghalarah in the Eastern Isle. Nevertheless, her gift of magic frees her, and she goes to Shadwood Academy and trains as a sword singer.

• Lars Tenobor

Lars Tenobor is a spoiled brat who spent his life mistreating slaves, including Rhen; and as he goes with her to Shadwood Academy, he feels that he must accompany her in her quest as he cannot bear being second-best to his former slave. But over time, there are marked changes in his personality.

• Dameon Maurva

Dameon Maurva is the son of Talia, the Dreamer. A few years prior to the game, he turns out to the side of Ahriman, and his task is to make Rhen his ally. However, he falls in love with Rhen, and as he realizes Ahriman is the evil one, betrays him.

• Elinidana'ter'Lithir

Elini is an exotic woman from the desert city of Veldt that practices polyandry. She is waiting for companions to go into the Wildwoods when Rhen and Lars come across her path, so she joins them. She is attracted to Pirate John, and considers Mad Marge her competition.

• Galahad

Galahad is a Knight from Sedona. After Rhen saves the King of Sedona, the knightly one helps them out despite Rhen's protests that she can take care of herself. His usefulness is very limited. He fears Tei'jal, considering her a dark creature of the night.

• Tei'jal

Tei'jal is a vampire from the city of Ghed'ahre. As she is able to counter the effects of Sun, she accompanies the party in their quest. She is deadly with the bow. She is also attracted to Galahad, trying to trap his soul.

• John

John is a jailed, coarse pirate, but also one of the last dragon riders. He is freed by Rhen as he claims to be able to fly dragons, and is reluctantly involved in one-sided romances with Elini and Marge.

• Marge

Marge (colloquially Mad Marge) is the coarse and rude bartender of Veniara's Inn. She joins the party as a mercenary, but her usefulness is also limited. She is in love with John, and considers Elini to be her rival.

Reception

Independent gaming website Game Tunnel awarded Aveyond their Game of the Month and Gold Award in March 2006.

Reviews

Publication	Response
Ace Gamez	9/10
Gamezebo	3.5/5
Game Plasma	8/10
Netjak	5.1/10
Quandary	4/5
RPGFan	83%

It is often pointed out (especially in the French gaming community) that Aveyond is the first - and only - RPG Maker XP game to be actually sold.

Grimm’s Hatchery

Grimm's Hatchery
Developer(s)	Amaranth Games
Publisher(s)	Amaranth Games
Designer(s)	Amanda Fae (Fitch)
Platform(s)	Windows 98+
Release	February 2007
Mode(s)	Single-Player

Gameplay

Players control an unnamed prince, whose mother was queen of the Candar Kingdom (see Ahriman's Prophecy above). Control of the kingdom passed to the player-character's stepfather, who has since died as well and left the Candar Kingdom to his evil son, Lord Boras. However, the king stipulated in his will that if the player earns a defined amount of gold coins in some amount of days running his hatch business, they can remove Lord Boras out, and take the castle for themselves.

The method of acquiring money is to run farms and breed magical pets, selling the eggs produced by the livestock or hatch pets themselves. This takes place in a number of locations called hatcheries, which consist of a single screen where all of the player's livestock are visible. Each time the player uses an in-game day, the game-proper begins. All pets are visible in the hatchery, where for a limited time the player must feed them, collect eggs and destroy the enemies which appear and try to kill the pets. This is all accomplished by clicking the mouse. Pets left hungry or poisoned for too long perish, both food and medicine must be purchased by the player in-between action sequences.

At the end of each day, the player can navigate static screens which make up the gameworld, in order to obtain quests, sell eggs and/or pets, gain access to new hatcheries and areas and to gossip with non-player characters. Certain pets require more expensive hatcheries in order to be farmed (each pet is attached to one hatchery). Players can attempt to hatch eggs in order to produce pets, which are more valuable than eggs and can be used at hatcheries to generate more eggs. This is a form of gambling, since eggs which do not hatch are destroyed; whether an egg hatches or not is random.

Reception

Grimm's Hatchery received a positive though not ecstatic response from the indie gaming community. The game has been praised for the depth of its fantasy setting, set in the same universe as the Aveyond series. John Bardinelli of Game Tunnel described it as "a lush, fantasy-style setting that draws you into the game", Casual Review's Nick Kojima stated "like Aveyond, it has a warm happy vibe in a fantasy setting that is strangely compelling".

The action aspects of the game are nevertheless widely regarded as repetitive, Mike Hommel of Game Tunnel said "it's extremely repetitive - every time it's click on eggs, click on hungry pets, click until your fingers bleed on angry monsters that always come from the same spot". Marc Saltzman from Gamezebo agreed, "game-play can get monotonous over time".

Aveyond II: Ean’s Quest

Aveyond II: Ean's Quest
Developer(s)	Amaranth Games
Publisher(s)	Amaranth Games
Designer(s)	Amanda Fae (Fitch)
Series	Aveyond
Engine	RPG Maker XP
Platform(s)	Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows XP, Windows Vista
Release	5 December 2007
Genre(s)	Computer role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single-Player

Ean (a male changeling) and Iya (a female song mage) are two young elves who live in a far away place called the Vale. One day, Ean wakes up to find that Iya, his best friend, is mysteriously missing and that no one remembers who she is. A very strange thing has also occurred... snow has fallen in the Vale. Ean sets out on a quest to find his missing friend; a quest that will take him away from his beloved home to the mainland below. And on his quest, Ean will find that dear Iya has been swept away by the Snow Queen (who last appeared in Aveyond I: Rhen’s Quest), and that her heart is slowly turning to ice. Ean must save his friend and Iya must learn to control her wild powers that the Snow Queen desires for herself. The fate of Ean and Iya are the key to defeating the Snow Queen's terrible plot to cover the world in ice.

Unlike Aveyond I, the story for Aveyond II is deeper and more serious. I've still jam-packed the game with weird humor, but you will see some notable differences in the next sequel.

— Amanda Fae,

Release date has been set for December 5th, 2007

External links

• Amaranth web site