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A Brief Guide to Heroes
Since time immemorial when a crisis that threatens the world rears its head, the Hero Medal has selected a champion to protect the planet. These people are most commonly referred to as the Chosen One, Chosen Hero or simply Hero.
-A brief history of the medal-
The medal was originally known as the Destiny Emblem. It was the last creation of the Great Creator, the being who made the world. Left behind by the Great Creator as an item intended to preserve the planet before they left on an inscrutable journey beyond the stars, it was intended to be used very sparingly in times of great disaster. Due to the unexpected emergence of monsters, the emblem has selected many more heroes than expected and become a major part of history.
Originally held in Heaven, the orbital home of the Divine Ones, when a disaster loomed the emblem would be thrown from the sky to find its chosen one. As time passed, the emblem requested to remain on the planet and would be found by the one it wished to find it. Despite seemingly being incapable of movement, the medal has a mysterious capacity to always be exactly where it needs to- apparently through nothing but indirect events and persuasive words.
Early heroes would affix the emblem to an item in a way personal to them. Such as to a weapon or a piercing. However, when the hugely influential hero Mandalay wore it as a medal, many subsequent heroes emulated him, and it became the tradition. Over time, the name Hero's Medal, then subsequently Hero Medal, became the more common term and the original name was forgotten.
The spirit of the medal began without personality, identity or will. It likely would have stayed that way if used as initially intended, but due to the unexpected frequent need for them, it slowly developed a character of its own. Their voice was androgynous at first, but many heroes interpreted it as female, and she chose to be a woman. She developed her own mental image of herself as time passed, first visually herself as merely a drop of light and drawing on the features and traits of people she admired. Over the millennia, she formed a perfect mental image of who she would be if she possessed a body. When in circumstances in which spirits are given form, that is exactly how she appears.
-The Selection Criteria-
Ultimately the selection process for a hero is quite fluid and is based on the problem that needs to be solved. It would be quite pointless to select someone with astronomical combat ability but no intellect to solve a complex engineering issue, for example. However, certain things are always taken into account, be they realised or potential.
Battle Power- Refers to their capacity to fight, regardless of the method. Potential is considered a higher priority than achieved power in most cases, as during their journey, the hero will surely realise their potential. Battle power is considered quite important to all heroes, as even if their quest does not directly require it, they will almost certainly face resistance. A hero will often become, by the end of their journey, one of the strongest humans of their generation. Rarely they will be outside of the top ten of their era.
Intellect- One of the criteria most contextually relevant, a hero can be chosen for their low intelligence if that will make them better suited to the role (consider characters such as Goku of Dragonball, Bartz Klauser of FFV, or even Percival of Arthurian myth). Generally, however, high intelligence is a valuable commodity for a hero, and a number were chosen specifically for their genius. This includes both cunning and academics.
Heart- Perhaps the most important of all. Different problems will need different personalities, but while a hero's heart may be hardened, cold, pure, broken, warm or soft, it must always be a heart of gold filled with courage. Many of the heroes are reluctant, but none refuse the call. Rex is almost certainly the hero whose heart begins the most stained, but even he can't stop himself from helping people when they're right in front of him and in time becomes a true hero. Unfortunately, the reverse can prove true, and the medal must also consider how likely a hero is to go mad with power.
Striking Appearence- Definitely the least important aspect of the selection process, but the medal does take a potential hero's look into account. They need not be attractive- but someone who stands out and is memorable. Ideally, when someone sees the hero for the first time, they should have a visible reaction and be able to recognise them easily afterwards.
-The Boons-
During the hero's journey, each gains four things. A Guardian Angel, Legendary Weapon, Companion Beast and a Blessing.
Guardian Angel-
Though most commonly an actual angel, numerous alternative entities have helped the heroes throughout their journies. The guardian's role is usually to give advice and wisdom, with their direct intervention left for key moments if at all. Guardians have taken the form of angels, ghosts, fairies, interdimensional entities and supercomputers. Occasionally the guardian is active in combat situations and strong early in the journey but becomes outclassed as time passes. Very rarely, the guardian remains powerful but has restrictions as to when they can enter battle and extremely unusually a Guardian will be an always active warrior in the Hero's quest. In meta terms, you can think of the guardian as the support characters like Navi/Midna/Fi from the Legend of Zelda, Cortana of Halo, Tikal of Sonic Adventure, Clippy of Microsoft etc. Frequently the first or second boon obtained. The medal herself rarely gives direct advice, though emotionally supports the hero.
Companion Beast
In some ways, the opposite of the guardian, the companion's role is typically only direct, such as combat or transport. The contrast is only stronger when the guardian is a combatant that becomes less battle relevant as time passes- the beast almost always begins weak and develops into a powerful fighter. The variety in the beasts is probably the greatest of the boons. Very rarely have two heroes had the same species of beast. Beast is also a very loose term, with animals, spirits, machines, golems, and so forth. They usually start cute and become cool, though sometimes they stay cute and still become powerful. Usually, the second or first boon gained.
Legendary Weapon-
Not always literally a weapon, this boon is some form of tool that helps the hero with their task. It is often of tremendous power and requires some sort of trial to obtain it or unlock its true potential. The weapon is often of historical significance, sometimes sapient and often sassy when they are. Due to the power it confers, it's usually one of the last boons gained. If it's not, occasionally the blessing will simply be to obtain the weapon's full power.
Blessing-
The blessing, usually given by a saint or other holy person, is a permanent trait given to the hero that is usually always active. This is often an immunity to a specific thing (such as fire, poison, instant death etc), the ability to do something normally restricted to a certain species, a special sense or an overall capability boost, or some other beneficial trait. Rarely the 'blessing' is, in fact, a curse, which grants great power for a price such as threatening to consume the hero's soul.
-Rex's Boons-
Guardian- His third boon. The valkyrie assigned to collect Helen Arany's (Rex's mother) soul, as Helen had easily accomplished enough to become an angel. However, Helen refused and was easily able to reject Skal's attempts. Skal gave up after 10 years of trying, and spent the remaining 2 mostly hanging out until Helen meddled with the natural order by forcing herself to reincarnate as an elf. As a result, she already knew Rex quite well- she watched over Helen, who watched over Rex. Due to her failure to collect Helen's soul and the subsequent unprecedented violation of reincarnation policy, Skal was reassigned from psychopomp duty. Ostensibly to prevent other unprecedented violations of reincarnation policy, but actually to keep her out of the way. When Rex needs to travel to the underworld, Skal helps him traverse the depths. Skal admired Helen, and in their time together, the longest she had spent with anyone, learnt more about being alive than she had through the deaths she'd overseen for hundreds of thousands of years. When Rex leaves the underworld, Skal chooses to go with him.
Skal does her best to give a dignified and refined impression and is proud to be a valkyrie- she is not ashamed at failing to take Helen to heaven but pleased she faced the strongest human non-hero's soul alone, not caring that she lost as she did so with honour. Her severe and elegant personality in most circumstances is a sharp contrast to when she witnesses exciting battles. She becomes an irrepressible fangirl, squealing in delight with hearts in her eyes when the side she supports is winning, furious and vulgar when they are losing. She shows no embarrassment for this behaviour and refers to supporting warriors (and thus enjoying their battles and weapons and blood and sweat and tears etc.) as a natural part of being a valkyrie, but even other valkyries find just how much she enjoys them a bit too much. It's not so much that she's really a raving genki-girl pretending to be an elegant lady, it's just two sides to her.
Skal makes a good guardian angel. She's naturally a supportive person and knows a great deal of world history due to how much of it revolves around battles. She fits the bill as not likely to enter combat regularly but spectacular when she does (in her case, unable to fight on the physical plane). Skal has a hummingbird theme, appearing to be an elegant and beautiful creature, but down to fight anytime. Her six wings, all very colourful, fold around her to look much like an elegant ballgown but when open she looks remarkably like a mardi gras participant.
Blessing- His second boon. Rex received his blessing from the monk known only by the nickname Nyuodougumo ('novice monk cloud'). Nyuodougumo is very much of the 'following the signs of the universe, wandering around being wise, looking like a hobo' school of a monk, a completely relaxed and peaceful person. The blessing awakened Rex's third eye instantaneously, an ordinarily arduous process that takes decades of training- only someone of Rex's talent could hope to survive the results without proper preparation.
Nyuodougumo always has the third eye 'open', but Rex opens and closes it as necessary, as it is draining for Rex due to the manner he obtained it. The opening of the eye offers numerous advantages. With the eye open, his senses become unfiltered, allowing him to perceive vast amounts of information and see phenomena usually beyond ordinary perception, such as vital energies, mana flow and immaterial spirits. It vastly improves his natural talent for analysis, both for learning and combat purposes. With advanced sensing of his energies, he can perform especially delicate techniques that would normally require a lifetime of training. It also helps him relax as his paranoia fades somewhat when he can sense his surroundings so well, and due to the opening stimulating the pineal gland, he can sleep more easily after its use. Unfortunately, to open the eye in the first place, Rex must clear his mind- and due to his natural mental state being a stressed, high-pressure mess following tens of trains of thought at once this is difficult for him to do and without the supplementary training the leads to the activation of the eye everyone else goes through, it's exhausting for Rex to maintain.
The results of opening the eye are incredibly compatible with Rex. Though initially a poor practitioner of the methods needed to activate it, the effects are so tempting he works towards achieving them- basically being tricked into self-care by Nyuodougumo, which was the monk's intention all along. Rex develops the blessing as his quest progresses.
Beast- The first of Rex's boons. Indrik, formerly a fragment of the Holy Mountain Kirin, the most powerful spirit in the world. When the tip of one of the Kirin's horns was snapped off in a battle with an avatar of Demon Emperor Baal, it took root in Rex's heart by sheer coincidence, and Indrik was manifested (giving Rex a huge, sun-shaped scar). Ordinarily, a kirin would draw strength from its home territory, hence the Holy Mountain Kirin's immense power. But Indrik draws his strength from Rex's spirit, growing as Rex does. Indrik follows the classical heroic beast mould of starting cute and growing into something cool, Indrik is always something of a menacing brute- for justice! Despite his huge weight and strength, he develops the ability to walk silently, able to walk over grass without bending it, then on water and finally on air alone. His rainbow coloured fire breath at first is a hazard to everyone, but he can eventually control who it burns. At full power, Indrik is easily a contender for the strongest heroic beast of all time but is pitifully weak to begin with. As a fat, stupid baby he cannot be trusted with the simplest of tasks. As a fat, stupid adult, he can boast strength suitable to be called the King of Beasts. Every animal in the world will bow its head to him at the sound of his ground-shaking steps- this is not an innate ability to control animals, but an instinctive reaction to avoid making eye contact for fear of challenging him.
Weapon- The last of Rex's boons is the Folio Foil. It is the rapier of Folio Foster, the previous hero from before the cataclysm war. The sword initially did not possess any unique qualities. It wasn't Folio's legendary weapon, but merely an extremely high-quality blade and one of many Folio used during his adventures. However, when Folio pledged to find peace between humans and monsters, he plunged it into the ground at the scene of his and Beelzebub's final battle. That place was the Cave of Spirits, a location in which souls could fully manifest and not degrade thanks to the spiritualising crystals that develop there. Over the roughly thousand years it has been there, pre-war until the present, a thin layer of spirit crystal has grown over it. Folio was quite a small man and Rex being extremely large results in the weapon being primarily used as a magic wand, though it remains an exceptional sword. It's now a phenomenal spell casting catalyst, able to focus spells and increase their power- but more importantly, it is one of the only catalyst's sturdy enough to handle Rex's abnormally huge mana supply. The crystalline structure can also store the spells of extreme complexity, allowing Rex to prepare spells more intricate than usual. It's especially useful for Rex, as most catalysts are not able to retain his Atom spells. The crystal has one last benefit- it can manifest a fraction of Folio's spirit to allow Rex to perform the famous Folio Flash, Folio's signature move. The Folio Flash channels lightning magic through the sword, launching it high speed and allowing the user to cast a powerful bolt that will always strike the blade and magnetically drag it back, no matter the obstacles. If the opponent is stabbed, the full charge is forced into them. If it misses, the user can position themselves so that a powerful bolt hits the opponent and then draws the knife into (and often through) them. Unusually for a Hero's weapon, it can be used by anyone- but it would be wasted on them.
-A brief history of the medal-
The medal was originally known as the Destiny Emblem. It was the last creation of the Great Creator, the being who made the world. Left behind by the Great Creator as an item intended to preserve the planet before they left on an inscrutable journey beyond the stars, it was intended to be used very sparingly in times of great disaster. Due to the unexpected emergence of monsters, the emblem has selected many more heroes than expected and become a major part of history.
Originally held in Heaven, the orbital home of the Divine Ones, when a disaster loomed the emblem would be thrown from the sky to find its chosen one. As time passed, the emblem requested to remain on the planet and would be found by the one it wished to find it. Despite seemingly being incapable of movement, the medal has a mysterious capacity to always be exactly where it needs to- apparently through nothing but indirect events and persuasive words.
Early heroes would affix the emblem to an item in a way personal to them. Such as to a weapon or a piercing. However, when the hugely influential hero Mandalay wore it as a medal, many subsequent heroes emulated him, and it became the tradition. Over time, the name Hero's Medal, then subsequently Hero Medal, became the more common term and the original name was forgotten.
The spirit of the medal began without personality, identity or will. It likely would have stayed that way if used as initially intended, but due to the unexpected frequent need for them, it slowly developed a character of its own. Their voice was androgynous at first, but many heroes interpreted it as female, and she chose to be a woman. She developed her own mental image of herself as time passed, first visually herself as merely a drop of light and drawing on the features and traits of people she admired. Over the millennia, she formed a perfect mental image of who she would be if she possessed a body. When in circumstances in which spirits are given form, that is exactly how she appears.
-The Selection Criteria-
Ultimately the selection process for a hero is quite fluid and is based on the problem that needs to be solved. It would be quite pointless to select someone with astronomical combat ability but no intellect to solve a complex engineering issue, for example. However, certain things are always taken into account, be they realised or potential.
Battle Power- Refers to their capacity to fight, regardless of the method. Potential is considered a higher priority than achieved power in most cases, as during their journey, the hero will surely realise their potential. Battle power is considered quite important to all heroes, as even if their quest does not directly require it, they will almost certainly face resistance. A hero will often become, by the end of their journey, one of the strongest humans of their generation. Rarely they will be outside of the top ten of their era.
Intellect- One of the criteria most contextually relevant, a hero can be chosen for their low intelligence if that will make them better suited to the role (consider characters such as Goku of Dragonball, Bartz Klauser of FFV, or even Percival of Arthurian myth). Generally, however, high intelligence is a valuable commodity for a hero, and a number were chosen specifically for their genius. This includes both cunning and academics.
Heart- Perhaps the most important of all. Different problems will need different personalities, but while a hero's heart may be hardened, cold, pure, broken, warm or soft, it must always be a heart of gold filled with courage. Many of the heroes are reluctant, but none refuse the call. Rex is almost certainly the hero whose heart begins the most stained, but even he can't stop himself from helping people when they're right in front of him and in time becomes a true hero. Unfortunately, the reverse can prove true, and the medal must also consider how likely a hero is to go mad with power.
Striking Appearence- Definitely the least important aspect of the selection process, but the medal does take a potential hero's look into account. They need not be attractive- but someone who stands out and is memorable. Ideally, when someone sees the hero for the first time, they should have a visible reaction and be able to recognise them easily afterwards.
-The Boons-
During the hero's journey, each gains four things. A Guardian Angel, Legendary Weapon, Companion Beast and a Blessing.
Guardian Angel-
Though most commonly an actual angel, numerous alternative entities have helped the heroes throughout their journies. The guardian's role is usually to give advice and wisdom, with their direct intervention left for key moments if at all. Guardians have taken the form of angels, ghosts, fairies, interdimensional entities and supercomputers. Occasionally the guardian is active in combat situations and strong early in the journey but becomes outclassed as time passes. Very rarely, the guardian remains powerful but has restrictions as to when they can enter battle and extremely unusually a Guardian will be an always active warrior in the Hero's quest. In meta terms, you can think of the guardian as the support characters like Navi/Midna/Fi from the Legend of Zelda, Cortana of Halo, Tikal of Sonic Adventure, Clippy of Microsoft etc. Frequently the first or second boon obtained. The medal herself rarely gives direct advice, though emotionally supports the hero.
Companion Beast
In some ways, the opposite of the guardian, the companion's role is typically only direct, such as combat or transport. The contrast is only stronger when the guardian is a combatant that becomes less battle relevant as time passes- the beast almost always begins weak and develops into a powerful fighter. The variety in the beasts is probably the greatest of the boons. Very rarely have two heroes had the same species of beast. Beast is also a very loose term, with animals, spirits, machines, golems, and so forth. They usually start cute and become cool, though sometimes they stay cute and still become powerful. Usually, the second or first boon gained.
Legendary Weapon-
Not always literally a weapon, this boon is some form of tool that helps the hero with their task. It is often of tremendous power and requires some sort of trial to obtain it or unlock its true potential. The weapon is often of historical significance, sometimes sapient and often sassy when they are. Due to the power it confers, it's usually one of the last boons gained. If it's not, occasionally the blessing will simply be to obtain the weapon's full power.
Blessing-
The blessing, usually given by a saint or other holy person, is a permanent trait given to the hero that is usually always active. This is often an immunity to a specific thing (such as fire, poison, instant death etc), the ability to do something normally restricted to a certain species, a special sense or an overall capability boost, or some other beneficial trait. Rarely the 'blessing' is, in fact, a curse, which grants great power for a price such as threatening to consume the hero's soul.
-Rex's Boons-
Guardian- His third boon. The valkyrie assigned to collect Helen Arany's (Rex's mother) soul, as Helen had easily accomplished enough to become an angel. However, Helen refused and was easily able to reject Skal's attempts. Skal gave up after 10 years of trying, and spent the remaining 2 mostly hanging out until Helen meddled with the natural order by forcing herself to reincarnate as an elf. As a result, she already knew Rex quite well- she watched over Helen, who watched over Rex. Due to her failure to collect Helen's soul and the subsequent unprecedented violation of reincarnation policy, Skal was reassigned from psychopomp duty. Ostensibly to prevent other unprecedented violations of reincarnation policy, but actually to keep her out of the way. When Rex needs to travel to the underworld, Skal helps him traverse the depths. Skal admired Helen, and in their time together, the longest she had spent with anyone, learnt more about being alive than she had through the deaths she'd overseen for hundreds of thousands of years. When Rex leaves the underworld, Skal chooses to go with him.
Skal does her best to give a dignified and refined impression and is proud to be a valkyrie- she is not ashamed at failing to take Helen to heaven but pleased she faced the strongest human non-hero's soul alone, not caring that she lost as she did so with honour. Her severe and elegant personality in most circumstances is a sharp contrast to when she witnesses exciting battles. She becomes an irrepressible fangirl, squealing in delight with hearts in her eyes when the side she supports is winning, furious and vulgar when they are losing. She shows no embarrassment for this behaviour and refers to supporting warriors (and thus enjoying their battles and weapons and blood and sweat and tears etc.) as a natural part of being a valkyrie, but even other valkyries find just how much she enjoys them a bit too much. It's not so much that she's really a raving genki-girl pretending to be an elegant lady, it's just two sides to her.
Skal makes a good guardian angel. She's naturally a supportive person and knows a great deal of world history due to how much of it revolves around battles. She fits the bill as not likely to enter combat regularly but spectacular when she does (in her case, unable to fight on the physical plane). Skal has a hummingbird theme, appearing to be an elegant and beautiful creature, but down to fight anytime. Her six wings, all very colourful, fold around her to look much like an elegant ballgown but when open she looks remarkably like a mardi gras participant.
Blessing- His second boon. Rex received his blessing from the monk known only by the nickname Nyuodougumo ('novice monk cloud'). Nyuodougumo is very much of the 'following the signs of the universe, wandering around being wise, looking like a hobo' school of a monk, a completely relaxed and peaceful person. The blessing awakened Rex's third eye instantaneously, an ordinarily arduous process that takes decades of training- only someone of Rex's talent could hope to survive the results without proper preparation.
Nyuodougumo always has the third eye 'open', but Rex opens and closes it as necessary, as it is draining for Rex due to the manner he obtained it. The opening of the eye offers numerous advantages. With the eye open, his senses become unfiltered, allowing him to perceive vast amounts of information and see phenomena usually beyond ordinary perception, such as vital energies, mana flow and immaterial spirits. It vastly improves his natural talent for analysis, both for learning and combat purposes. With advanced sensing of his energies, he can perform especially delicate techniques that would normally require a lifetime of training. It also helps him relax as his paranoia fades somewhat when he can sense his surroundings so well, and due to the opening stimulating the pineal gland, he can sleep more easily after its use. Unfortunately, to open the eye in the first place, Rex must clear his mind- and due to his natural mental state being a stressed, high-pressure mess following tens of trains of thought at once this is difficult for him to do and without the supplementary training the leads to the activation of the eye everyone else goes through, it's exhausting for Rex to maintain.
The results of opening the eye are incredibly compatible with Rex. Though initially a poor practitioner of the methods needed to activate it, the effects are so tempting he works towards achieving them- basically being tricked into self-care by Nyuodougumo, which was the monk's intention all along. Rex develops the blessing as his quest progresses.
Beast- The first of Rex's boons. Indrik, formerly a fragment of the Holy Mountain Kirin, the most powerful spirit in the world. When the tip of one of the Kirin's horns was snapped off in a battle with an avatar of Demon Emperor Baal, it took root in Rex's heart by sheer coincidence, and Indrik was manifested (giving Rex a huge, sun-shaped scar). Ordinarily, a kirin would draw strength from its home territory, hence the Holy Mountain Kirin's immense power. But Indrik draws his strength from Rex's spirit, growing as Rex does. Indrik follows the classical heroic beast mould of starting cute and growing into something cool, Indrik is always something of a menacing brute- for justice! Despite his huge weight and strength, he develops the ability to walk silently, able to walk over grass without bending it, then on water and finally on air alone. His rainbow coloured fire breath at first is a hazard to everyone, but he can eventually control who it burns. At full power, Indrik is easily a contender for the strongest heroic beast of all time but is pitifully weak to begin with. As a fat, stupid baby he cannot be trusted with the simplest of tasks. As a fat, stupid adult, he can boast strength suitable to be called the King of Beasts. Every animal in the world will bow its head to him at the sound of his ground-shaking steps- this is not an innate ability to control animals, but an instinctive reaction to avoid making eye contact for fear of challenging him.
Weapon- The last of Rex's boons is the Folio Foil. It is the rapier of Folio Foster, the previous hero from before the cataclysm war. The sword initially did not possess any unique qualities. It wasn't Folio's legendary weapon, but merely an extremely high-quality blade and one of many Folio used during his adventures. However, when Folio pledged to find peace between humans and monsters, he plunged it into the ground at the scene of his and Beelzebub's final battle. That place was the Cave of Spirits, a location in which souls could fully manifest and not degrade thanks to the spiritualising crystals that develop there. Over the roughly thousand years it has been there, pre-war until the present, a thin layer of spirit crystal has grown over it. Folio was quite a small man and Rex being extremely large results in the weapon being primarily used as a magic wand, though it remains an exceptional sword. It's now a phenomenal spell casting catalyst, able to focus spells and increase their power- but more importantly, it is one of the only catalyst's sturdy enough to handle Rex's abnormally huge mana supply. The crystalline structure can also store the spells of extreme complexity, allowing Rex to prepare spells more intricate than usual. It's especially useful for Rex, as most catalysts are not able to retain his Atom spells. The crystal has one last benefit- it can manifest a fraction of Folio's spirit to allow Rex to perform the famous Folio Flash, Folio's signature move. The Folio Flash channels lightning magic through the sword, launching it high speed and allowing the user to cast a powerful bolt that will always strike the blade and magnetically drag it back, no matter the obstacles. If the opponent is stabbed, the full charge is forced into them. If it misses, the user can position themselves so that a powerful bolt hits the opponent and then draws the knife into (and often through) them. Unusually for a Hero's weapon, it can be used by anyone- but it would be wasted on them.
Notable Heroes
no subject
Title- The Hardware Hero
Notable Feature- Eureka was the weakest hero by far, when not considering her equipment. She managed to complete her task without magic or human power.
Overview- During an era in which ones magical ability decided your station in life, Eureka was isolated by her inability to use magic at all. She focused on trying to prove the worth of the technology she loved so much, much to the ridicule of her peers. When a meteor called the Bleeding Star threatened to collide with the planet, Demon Lord Stolas performed a dark ritual which suppressed mana across the world to prevent human interference. Eureka was chosen to protect the world from the Bleeding Star- the majority of her quest was finding the materials necessary to create the world's vehicle capable of reaching space, which she called the Ecstasy Bullet.
Fate- Eureka completed the Ecstasy Bullet and destroyed the Bleeding Star as part of a climactic battle with Stolas in space. Her mech suit was too badly damaged to return her home, and her last act was throwing the medal back to the planet, sending her spinning into space where she passed away. Her influence lead to technological advancement being taken much more seriously.
Guardian Angel- A supercomputer from an ancient wreck that turned out to be from the future, which supplied her with calculation power to suit her imagination.
Companion Beast- A monkey-like nature spirit, that did much of her fighting for her before she developed her battle suit.
Blessing- Seeing how often she injured herself in her engineering, a saint blessed her to be unable to harm herself. She quickly weaponised this by designing her power armour to involve rocketing into enemies at high speeds, being covered in flames, electrically charged etc. which she could not be hurt by.
Legendary Weapon- The inextinguishable flame of a furious battle fought between a previous hero and demon lord. Eureka freed it from the barrier it was contained in, using her blessing to withstand it and harnessed the perpetual heat to forge and power her greatest creations.
no subject
Title- The Hardship Hero
Notable Feature- Quint had the shortest hero's journey in history, lasting only ten days.
Overview- A surly hunter of a frozen region who had room in his heart for loving only his sister and his sledge dogs. Quint was called upon to deliver a priest to a remote town to treat the disease brewing there that might become an epidemic. He only accepted the medal's request because his beloved sister had already travelled there to help. The disease had been created by Demon Lord Marbas, who attempted to prevent his work being undone. Crossing the treacherous wilderness and facing this opposition was his entire quest.
Fate- Quint never reached the town, but got close enough he could send the cure in his place, pulled by his ever-faithful sledge dogs. He defeated Marbas, protecting them, but died of the disease shortly after in the snow.
Guardian Angel- The ghost of his sister, who had died of the disease on the day he began the journey. She disguised herself as an angel at first.
Companion Beast- When his sledge dogs died in a storm, their loyalty to him allowed them to coalesce their wills into one spirit, never tiring.
Blessing- The priest he was meant to take to the town was killed by Marbas. With their dying breath, they gave Quint the blessing to be able to withstand any cold.
Legendary Weapon- In a mystical cave thousands of years of concentration of magical water had created an indestructible, unmeltable icicle of unfathomably low temperature. A battle there knocked loose the stalactite it was hanging from, allowing Quint to affix a handle to it and use it as a spear, able to handle it thanks to his blessing.
no subject
Title- Mandalay The Magnificent
Notable Feature- Mandalay was the hero selected at the youngest age- three days old. He was also possibly the strongest hero, potentially the strongest human, in history.
Overview- Mandalay was the child of a prince and princess of kingdoms at war. His selection as a baby leant legitimacy to their union and subsequently ended the war. He was tasked with defeating the Death River, the impossible horrifying giant demon that left a trail of devastation wherever it went. Mandalay was successful with the help of his friends but became arrogant and felt he was invincible. He decided to keep the medal and continue his crusade. He lead an attempted genocide of monsters, believing they were all evil. Mandalay was the first victim of Hero Madness, in which a hero becomes incapable of judging their actions and begin to think that as they are the hero, anything they do is correct. His charisma, power and history had much of the world agree with his goals and methods.
Fate- Mandalay died in his early fifties, attempting to mount a siege of the monster continent of Hell. During his battle with Baal, the demon emperor, he lost his mind when faced with the reality his might did not make him right- as here was a monster of equal strength to him. To human history, however, he would be considered a crusader of righteousness who died doing what was right.
Guardian Angel- An archangel of the highest rank, who also wished for monster extermination. Watched over him from the day he was born.
Companion Beast- A Simurgh, an enormous bird possessing powers of purification. Hatched on the same day he was born and was given to him as a gift.
Blessing- On the day of his birth, three wise men visited him and bestowed upon him the gifts of great charm, health and fortune.
Legendary Weapon- A tree, used as a club, that originally grew in the underworld. It could not be broken by any living being and grew stronger by feeding on the deaths of its victims. By the time of his death, the tree was 200 foot tall. After Mandalay's death, it was planted at the entrance to Hell as a reminder to any other would-be invaders.
no subject
Title- The Grandpa Hero
Notable Feature- The oldest hero when chosen, Lesley was 76 at the time.
Overview- Lesley lived in a small town far in the wilderness, where he had been considered a local legend in his youth for acts of daring-do. Later, he was elected mayor and held the position for almost thirty years. However, when Demon Lord Shax stole every firstborn child under eighteen in the country for a wicked ritual, Lesley was chosen by the medal to retrieve them. He was eager to complete the task as he had ten sons, each of whom had a child stolen. Though weakened by the years, Lesley made up for it with his experience and the number of people willing to assist him.
Fate- Lesley saved every child without fail, teaching them all valuable lessons. He passed away before facing Shax, his old body unable to carry on. Those who fought beside him carried on his will and used what he had taught them to seal Shax away.
Guardian Angel- The angel of his dear departed wife, who had once been his warrior companion. She could motivate him no matter how bad the circumstances became.
Companion Beast- A young eastern dragon, blown far from home in a great storm, was found be Lesley early on his adventure. He cared for him and raised him well. Thousands of years on, no one has told the dragon he was named after Lesley's favourite food. Porridge is still a steadfast friend to humans in the modern-day.
Blessing- If asked, Lesley would say his blessing was his life lived and family. This was actually quite true, as his youngest grandchild was born with a special capacity for holy magic she blessed him with the ability to recall his life perfectly. This granted him a huge amount of experience to draw on without a single flaw in the memory.
Legendary Weapon- The crystalised heart of an ancient mage, which absorbed and stored huge amounts of mana, allowing him to cast spells beyond his normal limits.
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Title- Thunder, The Blast of Justice
Notable Feature- Thunder has the most independent selections by the hero medal with three.
Overview- An elite knight, when the Demon Lord Aim invaded her home country she was selected by the Hero Medal to prevent Aim from obtaining an ancient book of royal secrets. That first adventure took a year, and she gave up the medal upon completion. Five years later, Aim's elder brother Aym emerged intending to destroy humanity outright in revenge and Thunder was chosen again. This adventure took two years, and she gave up the medal once more. Aim and Aym's elder sister Haborym obtained the book of secrets, plunging the country into an evil mist which cut off the sun and threatened to spread across the world. Thunder saved the world once more in three years, and this time threw the medal into the ocean.
Fate- Thunder retired to an out of the way castle which she filled with traps and defences, in the hopes no one would bother her again. However, she ventured out fairly regularly and pretended it was due to necessity rather than loneliness- on these trips, she ended up adopting many children all of whom she raised to be brilliant, noble warriors. The Thunder Brigade still exists in modern times. Eventually, she died of old age without being forced to draw her sword again.
Guardian Angel- First time, a fairy displaced by Aim's attacks. The second time, a ghost of a comrade killed in the first quest. The third time, the same as the second- but now promoted to an angel.
Companion Beast- First time, a trickster fox spirit. The second time, an ancient golem. The third time, an iron shelled tortoise.
Blessing- First time, immunity to fire attacks. The second time, immunity to water attacks. The third time, immunity to plant attacks.
Legendary Weapon- The only boon that remained the same throughout her quests. A sheath which stored the form of any weapon placed within, allowing her to carry hundreds of different weapons and swap to the most suitable one at a given time. Whenever her quest was complete circumstances would result in the sheath forgetting all but one sword by the time she started the next quest.
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Title- Dragonstomper
Notable Feature- Dragonstomper is an enigma. He emerged from nowhere, completed one of the most dangerous quests and then vanished. Though there were other heroes who performed their duties without forming a party, Dragonstomper could be said the 'most alone hero.' His guardian was not sapient, meaning it was just him, his beast and the medal.
Overview- When Demon Lady Bune managed to infiltrate dragonkind and became their queen, she incited them to wage war on humanity. Dragonstomper, clad in armour head to toe and never speaking a word, fought his way across the world to find and destroy Bune, revealing her deception in the process. He never killed a dragon, despite defeating over a hundred, and when he was done he shook hands with the new dragon queen before returning to wherever he came from.
Fate- There are endless theories as to where Dragonstomper went and why no one ever heard of him again. The truth is, Dragonstomper suffered from crippling social anxiety and went back to being a shepherd, where he didn't have to interact with people.
Guardian Angel- A compass that always pointed towards the nearest dragon.
Companion Beast- A winged horse named Mr Feathers.
Blessing- After saving a city from a rampaging dragon in a fight that lasted ten days straight, the head priest blessed him with a good night's sleep and pleasant dreams for the rest of his life. While it seems useless, it ensured he recovered from the mental and physical strain of his quest easily.
Legendary Weapon- In a battle against one of the strongest dragons in the world, one of her fangs was knocked out. Dragonstomper carved it into a war hammer.
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Title- The Leader, the Everywhere-At-Once Hero.
Notable Feature- Mangana had the largest party of companions, with 777. This does not count heroes that lead militaries, as he personally recruited all of Mangana's companions.
Overview- When Demon Lord Andromalius discovered one of the ancient beasts used to shape the world, the Seven Coloured Serpent, he awakened it, corrupting it and setting it against humanity. Mangana was chosen to save the day. To battle something of such size, he recruited a champion from each tribe on his continent.
Fate- Mangana defeated Andromalius quite early in his quest, but the serpent continued to rampage. To his regret, he was forced to kill the serpent and was blinded in the process. He lived in hermitage, raising the serpent's offspring, until natural death in old age.
Guardian Angel- A fairy-like being called a mimi. So long and thin she feared being snapped by the wind and so only popped up out of the ground to give him advice.
Companion Beast- Mangana found a single, normal-sized snake egg in the empty nest of the Seven Coloured Serpent. He raised it when it hatched, and it rapidly grew in size to be a fearsome combatant. Thousands of years on the snake, named Akurra, sleeps where its parent once did after become too large to remain free.
Blessing- Mangana was blessed by the shaman of each tribe he visited, each one building upon the original he received from his tribe's shaman- to have impeccable senses. Each blessing allowed him to see/hear another mile.
Legendary Weapon- A bullroarer made from the leg bone of a wind spirit (who donated it to Mangana and took it back when his quest was done). Not only a phenomenal flail weapon, but it also allowed him to command the wind. He used this to command his companions with perfect precision, sending his voice for miles.
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Title- The Blood Splattered Hero.
Notable Feature- The hero with the highest personal body count, though that total is lower than some heroes who inspired crusades.
Overview- In the early days of human-demon conflict it was common for demon lords to kidnap royal heirs to prevent direct interference from kingdoms. The last such victim of this was Valerie, who became the hero after being kidnapped by Demon Queen Sitri. Giving in to the fury she carried since birth, Valerie went on a roaring rampage of revenge from the heart of Sitri's stronghold.
Fate- Valerie successfully killed every single monster who pledged allegiance to Sitri, personally. As memories of dead monsters are passed on to the subsequent generations, an inherent terror of her was burnt into the blood of monsters for hundreds of years. It put an end to the casual practice of kidnapping royalty. In the end, when her bloodlust was sated, she lived a dull life as a queen and yearned for more battle that she could not find. Though fearsome to monsters, she was always kind to humans.
Guardian Angel- A Redcap fairy, drawn to the scene of carnage of her first battle.
Companion Beast- An Impundulu, a bloodthirsty bird capable of controlling the wind, rain and lightning.
Blessing- The blood she spilt coated her body and carried the resentment of her victims in the form of a curse. Blood that touched her boiled and hardened. She discovered that she could use this to attack foes, boiling them alive, at the cost of harming herself.
Legendary Weapon- A veil weaved from the silk of one of the creatures the Great Creator used to shape the world. Despite being thin and transparent, it was practically indestructible and made fine armour. By using it as a garotte, she could sever almost anything.