The Lore of Demeo
The unearthed backstory of the most popular VR co-operative/cross-play fantasy role-playing game...
I’ve been playing a game recently named Demeo. It’s designed for virtual reality play on the Meta Quest 2; you’ll need a Meta or Facebook account. But Demeo now has cross-play capability with its personal computer version so, if you don’t do Facebook, or Meta, or Oculus, you can still play with those that are playing in the VR version—just through your personal computer.
It’s a game within a game. The idea is that you and up to three other gamers are playing gamers! Yes, you are a team of four gamers playing a game named Demeo while in the basement of a woman (non player character, or NPC) known only as Deb.
Deb, is the gamemaster. She narrates tutorials and color-commentates the game’s rounds (it’s a turn taking game); making comments on your accomplishments as your characters “crawl”1 through the various dungeons or deserts of the imaginary world…which is the imaginary game being played by you and your three consorts. So, in the game, Deb, the gamemaster, plays the parts of all of the monsters that your team must defeat, as well as the NPCs of the game (e.g. storekeepers to bargain with, an apothecary that will concoct magical potions for you, etc.)
Characters and Classes
Those of you who know of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (AD&D) are probably seeing the connections already. Demeo is currently the only digital game (not platform) that emulates that game elegantly, unlike most of the previous attempts at creating video games of fantasy role playing.
In Demeo (and AD&D), class is the type of adventurer you play (e.g. your profession or your specific discpline) and your character is the specific role you are playing. There are currently six classes to choose from: Guardian, Assassin, Bard, Sorcerer, Hunter, Warlock. It works the same way as AD&D.
The difference is that, in Demeo, you don’t get to create your OWN character. There are six characters pre-fabricated for you to don. They include:
Ailin, Hunter of the Woods
Kai2, Assasin of the Shadows
Zedokar, Sorcerer of the Elements
Sigurn, Gaurdian of the Realm
Oana, Warlock of the Ancients
Molthas, Singer of the Mortal Sonnets
Of course you can learn much more about the game and how it’s played by just checking it out on YouTube or by visiting the gamemaker’s site. It’s amazing. Nothing but stellar reviews and awards. But that’s not what this post is about.
This post is about the background, history, and world that the game within the game assumes—the lore of Demeo. At first, I couldn’t find much to go on. After all, it’s just a digital VR game. It’s NOT AD&D. Yes, AD&D is a fantasy role-playing game, but it is a MUCH more detailed and in -depth an experience that requires the understanding of multiple books and rules…
But: by listening to Deb’s narration, reading the printed leaflets found in the game within the game as well as a YouTube interview with the game’s primary story creator who goes by the name Julius, I think I have enough information to unearth the arcana of Demeo. There’s also wonderful Demeo Wiki (where I got a lot of the art in this post from).
So, let’s take a look at what can be pieced together regarding….
The world of Demeo is now in the Fifth Age that has come to pass. The actual creation of the world itself is debated. So, the inhabitants of the world practice different beliefs and do the best they can to accept the others’ beliefs.
The inhabitants are classified into races which include
Humans
Elves
Goblins
Dwarves
The First
“The First” were the very first humanoid living beings to walk the world of Demeo. Their appearance and any type of language used by them is unknown. What is known is that they seemed to live in smaller communities, constructed tools, and built modest housing. They hunted and fished but did not grow crops. It is from The First that all other races stem. Think, Homo Habilis in our world…
No race see The First as deities in any way, but humans and elves (mostly) believe that The First stem themselves from those who actually created the world—the Aiíts.
The Aiíts consist of seven powerful beings originating from the heavens above. Together they created the world and planted a seed where The First blossomed after cocooning for three centuries.
The Aiíts3 willingly left the world once it was created. They are observing from above. A majority of humans still believe in the Aiíts and maintain traditions tied to this belief. A small minority of elves still worships the Aiíts, as a majority abandoned the Aiíts during the Second and Third Ages and took to the teachings of Peth Muran4 instead, seeing him as a demi-God, or at least a saint-like figure.
Dwarven Beliefs
Dwarves have a different idea about earth's creation and only believe in a force (i.e. god). It has no proper shape or form and can therefore never be depicted in any way. They call this force Eílm, meaning "everywhere."—omnipresent. Eílm unintentionally created the world when it transcended its consicounsess and dreamt the world into existence.
But as Eílm woke up, it liked what it saw and kept the world because it was so beautiful. To keep it safe, Eílm became one with it, devoting itself to its protection. A keyword for the dwarves when it comes to their belief is "gratitude," as they consider life to be precious and a gift from Eílm.
Goblins
Goblins lack any proper belief system as their language is far more limited than the other races. Their belief is more based on fear. They see the Sun and Moon as two sides of the same God, aiming to not anger either of them. One typical feature is that if the Moon is angered and something terrible happens during the night, the Sun can not be outraged as it rises because the are always the opposite of each other.
The Ages
Little is known about the First Age. Some aren’t even sure if the world's creation came before it. The First Age was longer than those following. Some modern archivists and scholars often debate the possiblity that there may’ve been an even earlier age—a Zero Age, if you will.
But it’s all shrouded in mystery. It was only during the early period of the Second Age that simplistic scholars aimed to document history in the first place. In fact, it’s from those now few-remaining scrolls that we learned about "The First".
The ancient scrolls also mention a war, later dubbed "The First War". What is clear in the scrolls is that some force had been infecting the world, and all of civilization was threatened. The scrolls suggest the war ended with the discovery of the "Relic of Kahl" - an unknown artifact that, in some way, brought peace once again. The name Kahl5 is mentioned as a goblin ruler of the time period, but it is unclear whether he simply found it or crafted the relic himself.
The First Age ended with almost all races reaching their current physical state. The Orakósh, the dominating goblin empire began declining as the other races both grew in numbers and conducted warfare in a vastly complex way beyond just swinging a stick.
The Second Age
As the Second Age began, the world was split in twain—one aspect of it being stuck in a world that still was violent and dark and the other in a world that began to awaken and grow more structured. The elven philosopher Peth Muran established the Elven Philosophy and introduced it and other races to the psychology of belief systems and gods.
The world was also divided. Provinces and borders were established. The Second Age was an age of wonders, where institutions formed and the world of the various races became more stablized; cultures began to develop.
Towards the end of the Second Age, Goblins had withdrawn to Vakmaar6, and instead, the Elves took pole position as the most powerful race, being far more intelligent and developed on all frontiers than the other races (by whose account, though?). Human and elven scholars started to document the world’s past with the very first excavations of ruins and the creation of archives and libraries.
The Third Age
The major event that came to define the Third Age was the massive eruption of Mount Búch during the very late stages of that period. The mountain, located in Nurmaar7, was by far the tallest mountain. Little was known about the mountain; the fact that it was actually a volcano came as a surprise. Tremors had been felt, but few understood what was coming. The massive eruption was initially considered a "just" tragedy for those living nearby in the province as villages, houses, and forests got eviscerated as the lava poured down the mountain.
However that was not the worst of the tragedy. Massive amounts of ashes spewed out of Mount Búch and began to block out the sun. This became known as the "Eternal Night". At first, scholars and scientists believed that the cloud of ashes would be temporary. But as days, weeks, and months passed, they were proven wrong.
All four races had to adapt to the darkness as years went by, and, after a decade, the Eternal Night was the new norm. As wildlife and crops succumbed, famine spread, which started the fighting across the provinces. Many tried desperately to flee the mainland and hope for another life across the sea or even in exile.
The Fourth Age
Just years into the Fourth Age, the first dragon was spotted in the sky. Exactly where they came from was debated, but it was agreed that they were unleashed from inside the planet, and through the eruption of Mount Búch. The dragons' only aim was to survive by any means possible. They set towns ablaze; ate and killed whatever they could.
When they first appeared, chaos reigned. There was no order nor strategy to handle this new menace. But, as any military strategist would tell you, the first step to defeating the dragons was to define them, count them, give them names, so as to understand them. All-in-all, there seemed to be approximately sixteen dragons. They were fast, strong, and far more intelligent than initially believed. They had strongholds hidden inside mountains and caves, but they were still made from flesh and blood so they could be killed.
The Dragon Wars
It was during the Fourth Age that all races truly joined together to overcome a common foe. All pulled their weight, whether it was engineering skills, strength, ingenuity, or resources. For roughly two decades, the "Dragon Wars" took place, with people living in fear. Residing underground, with "sky searchers" spread across the land who were to warn if day suddenly turned into night.
By ambushes and enclosing dragons in their own strongholds, the races defeated them, and the world rejoiced once more. Besides the death of the dragons, another welcomed outcome of this joint effort was the creation of The Council and the construction of the Rí Bastille (a fortress).
All four races had proven that they could work together and accomplish remarkable feats. The world turned more civil, and law and order were the new norms. With the Fourth age came the establishment of known provincial borders and peace amongst the races.
The Fifth and Current Age
Just a few centuries into the current age, which was initially a calm age, Rackarn started to seep into the realm. Its vile corruption has begun to spread throughout the land. Violence and criminal activity began to spike. Corruption reigned. The elves knew something awful was coming, but, as only Helmaar is affected, they don't know what.
Helmaar is the elven necropolis within which the game you, as gamers, are playing is set. Similar to humans, elves also accept those who seek the opportunity to trade, travel, or work. But they differ, as humans see other members of other races as possibilities for future endeavors and growth; collaboration and cooperation. Elves consider others only if they are a necessity. They aren’t interested in collaboration with other races. As such, they don’t allow other races to dwell in Helmaar, unless they are of benefit to the elves.
However, nowadays, the province is not as strict because of the elven decline. Most races are permitted to travel into and through the elven province, without any delay or harassment.
So, to recap, the characters your players are playing find themselves in the elven necropolis of Helmaar where the now trapped elven King Avnor Berim was experimenting with Rackarn magic8 with the intention of finding immortality.
King Avnor Berim struck a deal with Alfaragh9--the dark physical manifestion of Rackarn. The King allowed Alfaragh to use the King’s magical brass throne as a portal to provide Rackarn for him to experiment with. With each day passing, the portal that uses the King’s throne to connect to the plane of the elves grows larger, seeping more Rackarn in and eventually, allowing Alfaragh itself to come through.
Alfaragh, via Rackarn magic, sealed the souls of all dead elves because once an elf dies and becomes a spirit, he/she can travel through multiple planes of exisitence—including the one Alfaragh is in! So to make sure the Elven Spirits CAN’T get into Alfaragh’s plane of existene, Alfaragh uses Rackarn magic to trap the spritis in chests throughout the necroplis of Helmaar.
Where Alfaragh goes, the corruption of Rackarn follows. Many elves became dark because more and more Rackarn was flowing into their plane. They betrayed their kind and have began to worship Alfaragh.
The loyalist elves formed an army of their own. They went after their now dark and evil King Avnor Berim so they can stop the Rackarn from flowing into their plane. They find the King sitting on his magical brass throne and shoot arrows, thethering the King to the brass throne!
But this causes an even greater catastrophe because the portal is no longer able to close!
And that’s where you and our characters come in. The four characters don’t know each other (even though the players may), but they have been summoned, as privateers, to free the sealed spirits of the trapped elves. It’s sort of a religious crusade—for hire. The elves’ strategy is to free the Elven Spirits so they CAN transcend into Alfaragh’s plane and end the tyranny of Rackarn magic once and for all.
Their reward? Anything they find in pursuit of freeing the trapped Elven Sprits including gold, cool weapons and armor, better gloves, better base plates and helmets, potions of strength and vitality, and most of all, experience points (i.e. XP). The more XP you earn while playing the various characters in the now FOUR adventures available (with many more on the way), the more powerful you as a player become. And your XP stays with you, whether you’re playing the Gaurdian or the Warlock or any of the characters.
If you’re interested in trying it out on your computer (without VR), visit the Steam Store and learn more about this enthralling game…within a game. If you’d like to see the gameplay in action…
Game speak; meaning to explore and discover
Not a name, so much a moniker of a disciplined tribe (think Anonymous)
I think of them as the coders at Resolution Games, the company that produced this VR game.
A humble man who saw the lack of unison and loss of identity among his fellow Elves and wished to bring them to together. He began writing what would be known as “The Scrolls of Peth Muran,” or later: “The Ancient Scrolls of Peth Muran,” where he described the basis of what the Elves would become through his philosophy revolving around: Unity, Gratitude & Belief, and Being one with nature.
Kahl was the leader of the Orakósh his two commanders - Rekk and Talakk - at his side there was no obstacle he would not overcome, no enemies too fast or any army too great. Legends also tell of a relic, either obtained or forged by Kahl, this 'Relic of Kahl' is considered to be what provided Kahl with his immense strength and the reason for his many victories. What happened to Kahl and his relic is unknown, but some say it is still to be found, sitting upon capabilities not fit for mere humans, dwarves, elves, and goblins.
The goblin province, that seldom refuse applications to enter, but lack anything of value, and there are therefore very few occasions when anyone seeks a permit other than to pass through the province.
The human province; rather acceptant of others entering their province, seeing it as a possibility for open trade and travel.
Unlike Elemental magic, Rackarn magic is limitless and originates from outside this dimension. It can therefore be used to manipulate reality itself. But don’t be fooled; Rackarn slips into this world bit by bit with each use until you are entirely under its influence.
Alfaragh is Arabic for “void” or “space”.
Wow, this is awesome! "-o
Thanks for posting it on facebook.com/groups/demeoplayersguild/