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Please Note: You can acquire both the PNG and PSD files from my Patreon!
www.patreon.com/aikurisu

“House Swann. Few remember it. Fewer know it’s ties to Valuan royalty. They say King Enrique can trace his bloodline to what once was an honourable family. The late Lord Adelardo was the last to adhere to this mindset till his death during the Valua-Nasr War, when he sacrificed himself to protect his king’s retreat. Ha! Too bad said king was nursing a mortal wound at the time, though. What a damn waste.”
-- Gaspar

Although First Admiral Alfonso brought his family’s name into disrepute with his constant displays of cowardice, House Swann was arguably one of the most influential noble houses within Valua. It’s military background was second only to Lord Admiral Mendosa’s house and his close friendship with Lord Adelardo granted the two a measure of trust without the political intrigue that troubled others. Yet after Adelardo’s death during the Valua-Nasr War, his younger brother, Bolivar, assumed his position as First Admiral for close to a decade before his own untimely demise at the hands of his scheming first officer, Galcian.

In a sense, it was Galcian’s lust for power that ultimately ended House Swann’s prestigious military history as he attained the rank of First Admiral after Bolivar’s death created a power vacuum. Adelardo’s son, Alfonso, was only a boy when his father died and the subsequent death of his uncle was what caused the youth to be risk adverse in his later life. Without the father figures that could have made him a great leader, Alfonso was instead secretly groomed by Galcian to be no more than a useful idiot to the empire, someone he could place in charge of the 1st Fleet without feeling threatened by it.

Yet Alfonso was not as foolish as some thought. Though he was a coward, he was equally ambitious as the Lord Admiral. His loyalty to Empress Teodora I was a means to an end for him as he used his position as First Admiral to launch a private investigation into the death of his uncle. Alfonso never believed Bolivar to be a merry man by reputation and considered his unfortunate fate over a drunken stupor to be no more than a lie. A convenient lie fabricated by Galcian.

Although he never found the evidence to prove it, Alfonso distrusted Galcian so that he secretly consolidated his power as the lord of House Swann and placed his eggs in more than one basket, acquiring assets in Ixa’Taka for his family’s future. While his marriage to a noblewoman in Upper Valua proved fruitless his secret affair with a mistress in Lower Valua proved quite the opposite as she came to him one night and confessed his seed had quickened within her. She was pregnant.

Fearing such a revelation would endanger not just her but be used against him for political gain, Alfonso had her quietly escorted away to his flagship, The Cygnus, and ordered its captain to take her far from Valua where she would be safe. It was perhaps the first and last honourable act Alfonso was known for as the selfless order saved them from death while ironically sealing his.   For it was on that same night the Rains of Destruction fell upon the capital, reducing it to a mere crater.

The Cygnus was thought lost in its wake yet it was eventually spotted heading in the direction of Ixa’Taka, alone. With the chaos surrounding Galcian’s treachery, few concerned themselves with the former ‘pride’ of Valua’s 1st Armada, believing the admiral was merely fleeing the battlefield. King Enrique would later dispel such a falsehood, however, knowing full well that Alfonso was at the palace coordinating retaliatory efforts against Galcian and his loyalists. He knew he was dead.

Fortunately, Alfonso’s offspring survived. The crew of The Cygnus decided against ridiculing their former admiral after that, choosing to protect his honour for inadvertently saving them from his fate. For this the twins born from Alfonso’s love for his mistress never knew the truth of their father’s cowardice and believed him to be a man of valour. They never knew who he really was and grew resentful of his former enemies, especially Galcian and the infamous blue rogue, Vyse.

Still, House Swann lived on through them. Alfonso’s redemption was at hand.

Among their possessions is their father’s signet ring. It was a family heirloom passed down from father to son, in a time when House Swann still valued tradition. On the night of Alfonso’s death, however, he gave the ring to his mistress, assuring her that so long as she wore it she had the protection of his house and the loyalty of his men. It was also a symbol of power for along the ring are embedded yellow moonstones of the highest quality, imbuing the wielder with their magic.

Where the ring was crafted, no one truly knows, yet its design is ancient. One rumour is that it was formerly wielded by a nobleman from the Aurea Kingdom, before its fall to a neighbouring Valua after Empress Teodora I annexed it under suspicion of treason. Another rumour hints that House Swann may have originated from Aurea and it was through Bolivar that Teodora I was able to subjugate the realm, awarding him greater power within the Valua military.

Galcian himself was also said to have orchestrated its fall, yet that is a story for another day.

______________________________________________________

And thus begins what could be a sequel for Skies of Arcadia.

Long story short, SEGA failed us, yet the world of Arcadia is still my favourite after all these years. Heck, it’s almost been TWO DECADES since the game came to us through the Dreamcast and I lament over how we never got a sequel. Perhaps this was for the best, though? The game was incredible for its time and perhaps even ahead of it. While I still wonder what the world could be like if it had the artistic genius of Valkyria Chronicles, (which is largely based off SoA…), most of us fans have sadly moved on and are at peace knowing we won’t get anything more. Not even a PC port! ;_;

Still, my love for the world lingers, which is why this year will receive a lot of SoA content, based twenty years after the events of the first game. This means Vyse, Aika and Fina are in their thirties by now. Enrique is the wise and benevolent king of Valua with Queen Moegi at his side. Osman likely died of a heart attack many moons before then (XD) and many from the original cast have had kids. (Or died from old age! ;_; ) The world itself has also recovered somewhat and is far grander in scope than what we saw in the game. There are many more locations, places of interest. Valua City was only the heart of the empire and the only reason we didn’t see more cities, towns and fortifications within its domain is because the game’s story was told from Vyse’s perspective. So it only makes sense that he only visited a fraction of what was out there, allowing world builders like myself to add to the solid foundations of Arcadia. Moons know it deserves it!

As for Alfonso’s children… you’ll see them soon enough.

So, there ya go. A teaser for what’s hopefully on the horizon! Stay tuned.

  Artwork / Seeds of Redemption - © Kristopher P. Love // Skies of Arcadia Universe - © SEGA/OVERWORKS

Description

Please Note: You can acquire both the PNG and PSD files from my Patreon!
www.patreon.com/aikurisu

“House Swann. Few remember it. Fewer know it’s ties to Valuan royalty. They say King Enrique can trace his bloodline to what once was an honourable family. The late Lord Adelardo was the last to adhere to this mindset till his death during the Valua-Nasr War, when he sacrificed himself to protect his king’s retreat. Ha! Too bad said king was nursing a mortal wound at the time, though. What a damn waste.”
-- Gaspar

Although First Admiral Alfonso brought his family’s name into disrepute with his constant displays of cowardice, House Swann was arguably one of the most influential noble houses within Valua. It’s military background was second only to Lord Admiral Mendosa’s house and his close friendship with Lord Adelardo granted the two a measure of trust without the political intrigue that troubled others. Yet after Adelardo’s death during the Valua-Nasr War, his younger brother, Bolivar, assumed his position as First Admiral for close to a decade before his own untimely demise at the hands of his scheming first officer, Galcian.

In a sense, it was Galcian’s lust for power that ultimately ended House Swann’s prestigious military history as he attained the rank of First Admiral after Bolivar’s death created a power vacuum. Adelardo’s son, Alfonso, was only a boy when his father died and the subsequent death of his uncle was what caused the youth to be risk adverse in his later life. Without the father figures that could have made him a great leader, Alfonso was instead secretly groomed by Galcian to be no more than a useful idiot to the empire, someone he could place in charge of the 1st Fleet without feeling threatened by it.

Yet Alfonso was not as foolish as some thought. Though he was a coward, he was equally ambitious as the Lord Admiral. His loyalty to Empress Teodora I was a means to an end for him as he used his position as First Admiral to launch a private investigation into the death of his uncle. Alfonso never believed Bolivar to be a merry man by reputation and considered his unfortunate fate over a drunken stupor to be no more than a lie. A convenient lie fabricated by Galcian.

Although he never found the evidence to prove it, Alfonso distrusted Galcian so that he secretly consolidated his power as the lord of House Swann and placed his eggs in more than one basket, acquiring assets in Ixa’Taka for his family’s future. While his marriage to a noblewoman in Upper Valua proved fruitless his secret affair with a mistress in Lower Valua proved quite the opposite as she came to him one night and confessed his seed had quickened within her. She was pregnant.

Fearing such a revelation would endanger not just her but be used against him for political gain, Alfonso had her quietly escorted away to his flagship, The Cygnus, and ordered its captain to take her far from Valua where she would be safe. It was perhaps the first and last honourable act Alfonso was known for as the selfless order saved them from death while ironically sealing his.   For it was on that same night the Rains of Destruction fell upon the capital, reducing it to a mere crater.

The Cygnus was thought lost in its wake yet it was eventually spotted heading in the direction of Ixa’Taka, alone. With the chaos surrounding Galcian’s treachery, few concerned themselves with the former ‘pride’ of Valua’s 1st Armada, believing the admiral was merely fleeing the battlefield. King Enrique would later dispel such a falsehood, however, knowing full well that Alfonso was at the palace coordinating retaliatory efforts against Galcian and his loyalists. He knew he was dead.

Fortunately, Alfonso’s offspring survived. The crew of The Cygnus decided against ridiculing their former admiral after that, choosing to protect his honour for inadvertently saving them from his fate. For this the twins born from Alfonso’s love for his mistress never knew the truth of their father’s cowardice and believed him to be a man of valour. They never knew who he really was and grew resentful of his former enemies, especially Galcian and the infamous blue rogue, Vyse.

Still, House Swann lived on through them. Alfonso’s redemption was at hand.

Among their possessions is their father’s signet ring. It was a family heirloom passed down from father to son, in a time when House Swann still valued tradition. On the night of Alfonso’s death, however, he gave the ring to his mistress, assuring her that so long as she wore it she had the protection of his house and the loyalty of his men. It was also a symbol of power for along the ring are embedded yellow moonstones of the highest quality, imbuing the wielder with their magic.

Where the ring was crafted, no one truly knows, yet its design is ancient. One rumour is that it was formerly wielded by a nobleman from the Aurea Kingdom, before its fall to a neighbouring Valua after Empress Teodora I annexed it under suspicion of treason. Another rumour hints that House Swann may have originated from Aurea and it was through Bolivar that Teodora I was able to subjugate the realm, awarding him greater power within the Valua military.

Galcian himself was also said to have orchestrated its fall, yet that is a story for another day.

______________________________________________________

And thus begins what could be a sequel for Skies of Arcadia.

Long story short, SEGA failed us, yet the world of Arcadia is still my favourite after all these years. Heck, it’s almost been TWO DECADES since the game came to us through the Dreamcast and I lament over how we never got a sequel. Perhaps this was for the best, though? The game was incredible for its time and perhaps even ahead of it. While I still wonder what the world could be like if it had the artistic genius of Valkyria Chronicles, (which is largely based off SoA…), most of us fans have sadly moved on and are at peace knowing we won’t get anything more. Not even a PC port! ;_;

Still, my love for the world lingers, which is why this year will receive a lot of SoA content, based twenty years after the events of the first game. This means Vyse, Aika and Fina are in their thirties by now. Enrique is the wise and benevolent king of Valua with Queen Moegi at his side. Osman likely died of a heart attack many moons before then (XD) and many from the original cast have had kids. (Or died from old age! ;_; ) The world itself has also recovered somewhat and is far grander in scope than what we saw in the game. There are many more locations, places of interest. Valua City was only the heart of the empire and the only reason we didn’t see more cities, towns and fortifications within its domain is because the game’s story was told from Vyse’s perspective. So it only makes sense that he only visited a fraction of what was out there, allowing world builders like myself to add to the solid foundations of Arcadia. Moons know it deserves it!

As for Alfonso’s children… you’ll see them soon enough.

So, there ya go. A teaser for what’s hopefully on the horizon! Stay tuned.

  Artwork / Seeds of Redemption - © Kristopher P. Love // Skies of Arcadia Universe - © SEGA/OVERWORKS