Aveyond 2: Ean's Quest

Aveyond 2: Ean's Quest is the sequel to Aveyond 1: Rhen's Quest, and the second installment of the Aveyond Series.

Did you already forget what I told you about your BRAGGING?!

This article provides detailed information on the game's story and characters, and thus includes spoilers. Proceed with caution.

Blurb[]

"Snow has fallen on a magical vale where it has never snowed before. A beautiful young elf is missing, and no one remembers her existence. That is, no one except for her best friend, Ean.

To solve the mystery of his lost friend, Ean leaves the vale and travels to the dangerous Land of Man. Ean’s adventure takes him through dark forests, arid deserts, and finally to a great mountain of ice where the answers to all of his questions await. And that is just the beginning…

Solve dozens of adventure puzzles and explore an enchanting world. Aveyond 2 is packed with monsters, magic, and humor. Stop an evil queen from turning the world into ice, capture a dragon and ride the winds to ancient lands, unite the kingdoms and discover your destiny."^[1]

Plot[]

Backstory[]

The Snow Queen takes over the kingdom of Shaenlir. Ten years pass, and she decides to expand her sights and take over the world; she decides to gain the power to do this by draining magic from someone else.

Aveyond 2: Ean's Quest[]

Ean Okho and Iya Tiki are young elves living in the secluded village of Elfwood. Iya hopes to continue her family's tradition of being powerful magical Singers, but fails her magic proficiency test. That night, Iya is called to the Dreamworld by the Snow Queen, who offers her great power if she becomes her daughter. Convinced she is nothing to her family but a disappointment, Iya agrees. Ean wakes the next day to find it snowing in the village for the first time in history, and soon discovers that he is the only person who remembers Iya ever existed. He seeks the help of the Elder Oak to travel to the dangerous Land of Man in search of Iya.

Iya has become the princess of Shaenlir, which is currently hosting a ball attended by nearly every ruler on the Mainland. Ean finds her and persuades her to return home with him by having her watch the Snow Queen turn every ruler in attendence into ice, then plot to sacrifice Iya to gain enough power to take over the world. Ean informs Iya that she has magic, but has not unlocked it yet; she taps into it by attacking two guards that come after them as they begin their escape. The two leave Shaenlir, but Iya collapses in front of the Oracle's cottage. When she comes to, the Oracle informs the elves that they are part of a prophecy: Iya is destined to defeat the Snow Queen, and Ean is destined to help unite the kingdoms to move against Shaenlir. However, the Oracle also warns Iya that the Snow Queen drained her of her spirit, and she must seek the Nymphs' blessings to be made whole again, or else she will never be able to return home.

Ean and Iya set out on a quest to accomplish both these tasks. Rye, a young man from the village Ryva, accompanies them to Thais, where they begin working for Uthar Pendragon, the Crown Prince, who has formed a rebellion against the Snow Queen. While helping the rebellion ready its attack on Shaenlir, they find the Nymphs and Iya recieves their blessings, gradually recovering her Spirit. However, Ceri, the Nymph of Love, does not bless Iya, revealing that the Snow Queen never took the love from her spirit. Instead, she gives Iya a Love Blessing and tells her to give it to someone in need.

Ean and Iya meet the Oracle once more, who now reveals that the Snow Queen is none other than the Nymph of Compassion, Ishtar. This strengthens Iya's resolve to defeat her, as she needs her blessing to return home to Elfwood. When Thais attacks Shaenlir, Ean's party follows, and faces the Snow Queen directly. After defeating the Snow Queen, the Nymph of Wickedness, Heptitus, arrives, revealing that she stole the love from Ishtar's heart to use her as a puppet to control the kingdoms and wreak havoc. Ean's party defeats her, and Iya gives Ishtar the Love Blessing. Ishtar blesses Iya with Compassion in return, completing her spirit. The Oracle appears and reveals herself as the Goddess, taking both Nymphs away from Shaenlir.

Endings[]

For full details, see Ean Okho -> Biography -> Legacy.

At the end of the final battle, Ean decides what to do. There are three choices:

Go home to Elfwood with Iya
Go to Thais with Rye
Travel the world alone

In each choice, the members of his party can be found scattered across the world as they go their separate ways.

Mechanics[]

The game supports both keyboard and mouse input. Using the keyboard, the player navigates with arrow keys and spacebar, accessing the menu through ESC. With mouse support, the player navigates using the mouse and left clicks, and opens the menu with right clicks.

The game has eight total party members. By default, only seven can be in the party at once, as two of them hate each other too much to travel together, forcing the player to choose between them. However, Aveyond Studios released a Goodie which allows a player to get them both in the party at once. Only four party members can be active in battle, and Ean must always be active. Those that are not active do not level up. The game allows the player to set a Leader from the active party to walk around the map as.

The game utilizes turn-based combat, prompted by touching on-screen enemies.

Jack returns in this game, and uses his lock-picking skills to unlock Blue Chests.

Aveyond 2: Ean's Quest relies on Attraction Points for its romantic Party Relationships. In addition, it is the only game to include Humility Points as a form of character interaction. The game also includes a farm, where the player can walk around as the various party members (by setting the Leader) and have them interact with each other. The player can also buy farm animals from across the world, some of which have mechanical capabilities, such as the chickens occasionally laying eggs.

The game has three main endings that are determined by player choice after the final battle, although specifics vary based on what marriages the player completed during the game.

Aveyond 2: Ean's Quest introduces the Karma mechanic (renamed Luck in later games), a stat which is increased by donating to Goddess statues across the world and completing good deeds.

This game also introduces the Goodie Caves, hidden caves around the game which unlock immense wealth, high levels, and the best equipment in the game early on.

Important Characters[]

Party Members[]

Ean Okho (mandatory): An elf boy who sets out in search of his missing friend. Along the way, he learns he is destined to unite the kingdoms against the Snow Queen. While assisting Iya in unlocking her magic, he learns he has powers of his own, and can shapeshift into various creatures.
Iya Tiki (mandatory): Ean's best friend, an elf girl who dreams of becoming a Singer and learning forest magic. One day, she disappears, and only Ean remembers her. On the quest, she unlocks her magical potential.
Rye Zoyle (mandatory): Rye, a quiet lad with a good hand for a bow, who spends most of his time in the forest. He has recently grown tired of his small hometown Ryva and wants to leave and explore the world.
Jack: The street urchin from Ahriman's Prophecy is back! Turned into a statue over two hundred years ago, Jack is in for a rude awakening. Jack thinks everyone is a fool, but he can pick almost any lock, making him a valuable addition to the party.
Nicolas Pendragon: The younger of two Thais princes, Nicolas is the greatest healer in the land, but has a major attitude problem. He looks down on commoners and absolutely detests witches, refusing to be in any group containing one.
Gavin Morven: A warlock from the village Bogwood, where all of the witches are in love with him, which he finds quite funny but tiresome. He has a wicked sense of humor and he is a little diabolical. Gavin dislikes nobility and will not travel with Nicolas.
Ava One Eye: A pirate captain whose allegiance lies with Uthar Pendragon and works as an agent for Thais. Being very smart, little impresses her. She has a hard hand and a good heart, and doesn't care for the weak of mind.
Emma Willow: A rough-and-tumble girl from the lovey-dovey kingdom of Candar, Emma has worked as a maid for several years but dreams of attending the Thais School of War and Magic to study sword fighting.

Non-Playable Characters[]

Snow Queen: The game's main antagonist, who kidnaps Iya to drain her of her magic and use it to take over the world. Midway through the game, she is revealed to be Ishtar, Nymph of Compassion.
Heptitus: The Nymph of Wickedness, revealed at the end of the game to be the true antagonist. She stole the Love from Ishtar's Spirit to cause chaos across the world.
Nymphs: Six Nymphs who watch over the world and bless living beings with Spirit. They represent the aspects of Luck, Hope, Wisdom, Love, Compassion, and Wickedness.
The Oracle: A self-described "old woman with a bad hip" who guides Iya on her journey and watches over Aveyond. At the end of the game, she is revealed to be the world's Goddess.
Uthar Pendragon: The Crown Prince of Thais, who assumes control of the throne after his parents are turned to ice. Uthar leads a rebellion against the Snow Queen with the help of Ella IV of Candar.

Version Differences[]

The broadly available version of Aveyond 2: Ean's Quest is Version 2, and is what this page describes. Version 2 resolved bug fixes from Version 1, but also restructured the beginning of the game. In Version 1, Rye joins Ean's party on his first visit to Ryva. The two travel to Ravenwood and complete all associated quests there, then go together to rescue Iya from the Snow Queen.

Credits[]

Developer: Aveyond Studios (as Amaranth Games)

Publisher: Aveyond Studios (as Amaranth Games)

Game Designer: Amanda Fitch

Game Art: Jan Halfar, Sherman3D

Additional Artists: Adele Sessler (Title Screen), Eric Lavoie (Sprites and Icons), Mack (Sprites and Icons), Pickel (Sprites and Icons), Alisa Christopher (Sprites and Icons), Katherine Fitch & Laurie Thomas (Logo), Kinnison (Arrow Animations), CompulsoryHero (FaceMaker)

Composer: Aaron Walz

Music Performers: Eva Maass (Flute, Vocals: Soprano), Krisha Montmorency (Violin), Charles Wilson (Trombone), Muftiah Martin (Violin), Adrian Gormley (Clarinet), Maury Cohen (Cello), Mike Silverman (Guitar), Mark Nemoyten (Trumpet and Flugelhorn), Aaron Walz (Vocals: Countertenor & Tenor)

Music Production: Walz Music

Editing: Vicki Smith

Scripts and Programming: Sasha Harlow (Universal Message System Script), SephirothSpawn & Near Fantastica (Mouse Script), Bryce Jonasson (Windows Programming), Sharon Hanlon (Scripting)

Game Engine: Enterbrain

System Requirements[]

Operating System: Windows 98/XP/Vista

RAM: 256 MB

Reception[]

Aveyond 2 had a good reception by those who played it. Erin Bell of Gamezebo described it as, "a great example of a 'casual' role-playing game that delivers a delightful and accessible fantasy adventure."^[2] Neal Chandran from RPGFan said, "Aveyond 2 represents another wonderful independently developed RPG and is another feather in the cap of Amaranth Games," saying that though "it does not revolutionize the Aveyond series in any way, but it adds another immersive entry to this solid series."^[3] Aveyond 2 was second runner-up in the 2007 Game Tunnel Game of the Year: Player's Choice Award^[4] and ranked third in Game Tunnel's 2007 list of RPGs of the Year.^[5]

Publication	Response
Gamezebo	4/5^[2]
RPGFan	85%^[3]

Trivia[]

The game is likely inspired by "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Anderson.