Kellan Rook: Difference between revisions
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Kellan Rook}} | {{DISPLAYTITLE:Kellan Rook}}{{Infobox character | ||
{{Infobox character | |||
| name = Kellan Rook | | name = Kellan Rook | ||
| image = | | image = KellanRook_Updated.png | ||
| imagesize = 300px | | imagesize = 300px | ||
| image_alt = Kellan Rook | | image_alt = Kellan Rook | ||
| image_caption = Kellan Rook ( | | image_caption = Kellan Rook (Updated 2026 Artwork) | ||
| race = Humekind | | race = Humekind | ||
| age = | | age = 25 cycles | ||
| nationality = Directionland | | nationality = Directionland | ||
| origin = St. Stylinson | | origin = St. Stylinson | ||
| Line 18: | Line 15: | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Kellan Rook''' is an unused character concept originally planned for ''Mundus: Chapter I - Mundus Reborn''. He was designed as the leader of the Saints' Shadows, a St. Stylinson based street gang that policed the city’s neglected lower districts through a mix of mediation and violence. Kellan was also used internally as a prototype for an early “affection lock” system, and was intended to become a semi-permanent combat ally who could appear unprompted during Dark Energy events. | '''Kellan Rook''' is an unused character concept originally planned for ''Mundus: Chapter I - Mundus Reborn''. He was designed as the leader of the Saints' Shadows, a [[St. Stylinson]] based street gang that policed the city’s neglected lower districts through a mix of mediation and violence. Kellan was also used internally as a prototype for an early “affection lock” system, and was intended to become a semi-permanent combat ally who could appear unprompted during [[Dark Energy]] events. | ||
In later development, Kellan’s storyline was placed on indefinite hold due to its complexity, tone, and incompatibilities with the game’s romance assumptions. Following server and Lorekeeper disruptions in the summer of 2025, incomplete traces of his data briefly resurfaced during restoration and re-indexing, resulting in a short-lived erroneous in-world placement in St. Stylinson during a February 2026 update. | In later development, Kellan’s storyline was placed on indefinite hold due to its complexity, tone, and incompatibilities with the game’s romance assumptions. Following server and Lorekeeper disruptions in the summer of 2025, incomplete traces of his data briefly resurfaced during restoration and re-indexing, resulting in a short-lived erroneous in-world placement in [[St. Stylinson]] during a February 2026 update. | ||
== Concept and creation == | == Concept and creation == | ||
Kellan Rook was created as a testbed character for early relationship gating, referred to in internal notes as an “affection locked” character. His questline was intended to unlock in layers based on player affinity, with certain routes remaining hidden until late progression. This design goal made him substantially more complex than other Chapter I character plans, which were being adapted to a stripped-down affection framework. | Kellan Rook was created as a testbed character for early relationship gating, referred to in internal notes as an “affection locked” character. His questline was intended to unlock in layers based on player affinity, with certain routes remaining hidden until late progression. This design goal made him substantially more complex than other Chapter I character plans, which were being adapted to a stripped-down affection framework. | ||
Kellan was also conceived as a tonal counterweight to the more whimsical story threads planned at the time. His content focused on poverty, street crime, vigilantism, and civic neglect within St. Stylinson, one of the founding kingdoms of Directionland. | Kellan was also conceived as a tonal counterweight to the more whimsical story threads planned at the time. His content focused on poverty, street crime, vigilantism, and civic neglect within St. Stylinson, one of the founding kingdoms of [[Directionland]]. | ||
== Planned in-world biography == | == Planned in-world biography == | ||
[[File:KellanRook.png|thumb|Early Lorekeeper concept art of Kellan Rook.]] | |||
The following biography reflects planned narrative material and design notes. It was never implemented as playable content. | The following biography reflects planned narrative material and design notes. It was never implemented as playable content. | ||
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At 19 cycles old, Kellan was planned to form the '''Saints' Shadows''', an underground organization taking “gray-area” contracts to resolve disputes, sometimes with words and sometimes with force. The group also patrolled lower St. Stylinson to impose a rough stability in areas where authorities were portrayed as absent or indifferent. | At 19 cycles old, Kellan was planned to form the '''Saints' Shadows''', an underground organization taking “gray-area” contracts to resolve disputes, sometimes with words and sometimes with force. The group also patrolled lower St. Stylinson to impose a rough stability in areas where authorities were portrayed as absent or indifferent. | ||
By | By 25 cycles old, Kellan’s criminal reputation was intended to be at its peak, while remaining positioned as “low-risk” compared to major syndicates. Four additional core gang members were outlined at a high level, but were never finalized before the storyline was shelved. | ||
=== Training and fighting style === | === Training and fighting style === | ||
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== Appearance == | == Appearance == | ||
[[File:Kellan Punching Bag.png|thumb|Kellan working out using a punching bag.]] | |||
Kellan was planned as a fit young man with a striking physique and “boyish” charm: | Kellan was planned as a fit young man with a striking physique and “boyish” charm: | ||
* Hair: black, short | * Hair: black, short | ||
* Eyes: green | * Eyes: green | ||
* Build: athletic | * Build: athletic | ||
* Outfit: black tank top, black | * Outfit: black tank top, black shorts with a belt chain, gray shoes | ||
* Accessories: white handwraps | * Accessories: white handwraps | ||
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== Development difficulties and cancellation == | == Development difficulties and cancellation == | ||
[[File:Kellan Worried in Bed.png|left|thumb|Kellan awake in bed.]] | |||
Kellan was considered one of the most technically demanding character concepts of the early Chapter I period due to: | Kellan was considered one of the most technically demanding character concepts of the early Chapter I period due to: | ||
* Multi-layer route gating tied to affection thresholds | * Multi-layer route gating tied to affection thresholds | ||
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* A darker tone that differed from adjacent planned storylines | * A darker tone that differed from adjacent planned storylines | ||
A major design conflict involved romance assumptions. Mundus characters were treated as pansexual by default to avoid requiring the system to determine player gender identity, which the Lorekeeper could not reliably infer without intrusive questioning. Kellan’s route, built around a defined orientation and earlier conditional romance logic, became increasingly difficult to reconcile without extensive rewrites. | A major design conflict involved romance assumptions. Mundus characters were treated as pansexual by default to avoid requiring the system to determine player gender identity, which the Lorekeeper could not reliably infer without intrusive questioning. | ||
Kellan’s route, built around a defined orientation and earlier conditional romance logic, became increasingly difficult to reconcile without extensive rewrites. | |||
== Lorekeeper and server incidents == | == Lorekeeper and server incidents == | ||
Although Kellan never shipped, work continued intermittently on his characterization within Lorekeeper constraints, including internally generated visual material depicting his intended arc. | Although Kellan never shipped, work continued intermittently on his characterization within Lorekeeper constraints, including internally generated visual material depicting his intended arc. | ||
During a hacking incident in | During a hacking incident in the summer of 2025, files used to track lore and character progression were deleted, which broke the API linkage used by the Lorekeeper and caused widespread lore overwrites and personality loss across characters. Kellan’s data was among the affected sets. | ||
During restoration from older backups, incomplete remnants of Kellan’s data were accidentally reintroduced, prompting the Lorekeeper to rebuild his database and recreate his character ID. A specific instruction was then added to ignore Kellan and never place him in the world. | During restoration from older backups, incomplete remnants of Kellan’s data were accidentally reintroduced, prompting the Lorekeeper to rebuild his database and recreate his character ID. A specific instruction was then added to ignore Kellan and never place him in the world. | ||
In a February 2026 Lorekeeper update, character data was moved and re-indexed. During this process, the “ignore Kellan” instruction was | In a February 2026 Lorekeeper update, character data was moved and re-indexed. During this process, the “ignore Kellan” instruction was not applied, and his incomplete character was erroneously placed at his original quest starting location in St. Stylinson before being removed again. | ||
== Trivia == | == Trivia == | ||
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[[Category:Cut content]] | [[Category:Cut content]] | ||
[[Category:Unused characters]] | [[Category:Unused characters]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Characters]] | ||