So for this ongoing project we had to design some NPCs for our area (the volcanic one) and then a miniboss, and a main boss with two phases (everyone knows there's always a final form, haha). Like I've explained in the previous project, the natives of this volcanic valley, who I've named the Nakeeri, live in dormant volcanoes. They believe that volcanoes are gods on Earth, and the essence of the cycle of life. By coating their skin in black soot and light gray ash, they seek to become as close to the volcanoes as possible in mind, body, and spirit. If the volcanoes they live in decide to re-awaken and become active, which they most definitly do every 50 years or so (this is a very tectonically chaotic regoin), they believe that it's destiny and their duty on this earth to contribute to the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Humanity taints the land, and destroys the natural world, so they have forasken their own humanity and adopted the role of guardians of nature. By willingly living in a place where they could all die every day, they have abandoned the natural human instinct for survival in order to reduce their own harmful existence, as they believe humans to be.
As guardians on this valley, all intruders are sacrificed into the volcano. A blood offering as red as the flowing lava itself. Not only do th Nakeeri seek to please the gods and rid the earth of human beings, but also to show the gods they are but humble servants, and that in some sense they wish to be spared a day longer in order to continue their divine work.
From left to right: The oracle (the village elder who predicts the will of the gods) , the Executioner (responsible for throwing sacrifices into the volcano), The Chieftan (community leader and overseer of laws in each village, The Chieftess (recently married to the The Cheiftan, uniting two separte Nakeeri villages. Wedding ceremonies for the Nakeeri involve a human sacrifice into a newly active volcano, and the naming of that volcano after the Cheifess herself, it's quite a festive affiar). Next is the Preistess, religious and spiritual guardians of the Nakeeri relics and sacred items. They live at the bases of the most active of volcanoes, away from the rest of the community, but closer to god. Then a Sentryman, one of many aids to the king. All identically dressed with a ceremonial pike. Will fight as soldiers as well. Then a small village girl, her mother, and lastly two VERY lost tourists who have mistaken the Cheiftan and Cheiftess's wedding ceremony as a luau. Their fate is quite obvious, as they are human intruders.
ALRIGHT. Next we have some boss/mini boss concepts. First I started off with some silhouetteing. I definitely knew the lava was going to be a big theme for this. These were a lot of fun!
So I wanted the miniboss to be the Priestess. I figured the final showdown would be at the lip/mouth of the volcano, so to get there you'd have to get through her, as they Priests/Priestesses live at the base of the active volcanoes. When you encounter her, she'll call the lava around her, as it has become sentient, for reasons you won't understand at the time. Using her divine powers, she'll become what you see below.
As for how you beat her, well, I figured her peity would be her downfall. By smashing nearby relics she has made it her life's duty to protect, she becomes less and less calm and way more enraged at the blasphemy you are displaying. Her movements will be even faster, but less accurate. Once you smash all of them, she becomes so furious she overheats and explodes into ash.
Now this guy I was SO stoked to do. I knew from the get-go that the Executioner would be the final boss. In a great display of irony, he throws himself into a volcanic pool on the outer layers of the active volcano, whch of course is shaking ominously at this point.
He emerges looking like what you see below. His movement are slow but he has crazy reach and is quite huge. His attacks are ground based, a direct opposite from the mini boss who floats and spins. Get knocked down, up, or around too many times, and he'll grab you, and then vomit magma onto your face. Not fun.
The many skulls that the Executioner had on his neck, representing the sacrifices, have started to take on a lava form in the first phase, now for phase II, he throws himself into the very pit of the volcano. We're talking the Earth's core right now. You realize that the hundreds of thousands souls of the sacrifices being throw into the volcano has made it...sentient. So it's alive in the worst possible way, and it's full of vengeful spirts. Nice.
So for the Executioner's final form, those souls are quite evidently using his life force to manifest into this...awfulness. Dripping and oozing the hottest molten magma, with the mournful moans and wails of the dead, this final form boss is HUGE, and really upsetting to b around in general. The faces spit ashe and even fly at you like projectile meteors, and there's a lot of dodging to be done to deal with this guy. If you can pierce his heart with your pike, you just might kill him. If he doesnt' disentigrate you first!
