Storyline between classes?

Now, this is a pretty big question but I lost track of everything. I'm curious as to what the stories are behind Cygnus, Aran, Evan, Dual Blade and Resistance (well, maybe not Resistance, since I can just read the quests when they're released...). Or at least a tl;dr version, and mostly the stories that come up the further each class gets.

Like with Evan, I knew there was some sort of betrayal involved in there somewhere and I'm not sure if there was anything involving the Black Mage with Dual Blades. All I know about Dual Blades is that they believe the current Dark Lord, Jin, killed Lady Syl's father, the former Dark Lord.

This thread had me really curious and I keep hearing things that just have me confused. D:

If this is too much to ask, that's okay. >_> I'm not even sure how much story is behind all of this. I've started reading quests again because of this, but I've no time to (re)make each class from scratch to read it all (again). :x

Aran tl;dr Aran was at a island along with other refugees when the black magician approaches... athena evacuated the others but aran refused to go, the heroes fought and managed to seal the black mage but was in turn, sealed in ice.. until lilin found him.

Evan tl:dr Afrien and freud is just like evan and mir, they have a spirit pact. The black mage wanted to have an alliance with the dragons but the spirit pact was too strong to be broken. Afrien and frued fought along with the other dragon masters but the rest was killed(i think) leaving afrien and freud behind, afrien asked freud to hide an egg sothe onyx dragon race wont become extinct.. they fought the black mage and before the black mage could freeze freud in ice, afrien intervened and he took the curse instead... freud kept his promise and hid the egg away, untilone day, a little boy strolling in the forest found it.

Because I'm bored, I'm going to try to explain how all of the new jobs (save for Resistance since I don't know enough about their quests yet) tie in with each other regarding the Black Wings. I'll try to do it in timeline form.

As far as I know, Dual Blades are doing their own thing unrelated to the Black Mage story, completely seperate from the Evan/Aran/Cygnus story.

- Evan finds Mir.
- The curse on Aran fades and Lilin wakes him up.
- A promising recruit joins the ranks of the Knights of Cygnus.

- The Cygnus recruit finds the Puppeteer and kicks his ass.
- Aran finds the Puppeteer and kicks his ass some more. (I recall the Puppeteer saying something about having been weakened by a Knight of Cygnus beforehand)
- The Puppeteer and the giant (forgot his name) find Tru, ambush Aran, and the Puppeteer gets his ass kicked yet again.
- Evan stumbles upon the Puppeteer's base, and a giant puppet pleads for Evan to find some potions to save its master (the puppeteer).
- Evan later returns to find the giant puppet offering him to join 'a group dedicated to helping the Maple World'.
- Aran finds the Puppeteer in his new hideout, fights him a third time, and finishes him off.
- Aran's mission now is to save as many of the Seal Stones as possible, despite not knowing exactly what their purpose is.
- Tru later mentions that he found the Seal Stone of Victoria Island, and mentions that he simply got ahold of it due to his 'connections' (possible plot point for one of the next Legends?)

- While trying to find out more about Mir and Onyx Dragons, Evan joins the ranks of the Black Wings, tricked into believing that they're an organization that helps the Maple world. His first assignment involves the Nependaths in Orbis.
- Aran later arrives to find Orbis in chaos. He deals with the Giant Nependaths, and defeats the Giant. 'Gentlemanly Bastard' appears and takes the Seal Stone of Orbis anyways.
- Evan's next assignment is in Mu Lung. Aran later arrives, deals with this Shadow Warrior, and then Gentlemanly Bastard appears and takes the Seal Stone of Mu Lung anyways.
- Evan's next assignment is in Ludibrium.
- Aran's attention is then directed to the ancient Elin Forest, to see if Athena Pierce knew anything about the Seal Stones. Athena mentions having a Seal Stone within the library. Of course, Gentlemanly Bastard appears and takes it.
- Athena then mentions that she had a letter that Aran wrote that was supposed to be delivered to Cygnus. Aran couldn't take it and read it since it was coming from past Athena. Athena promises to keep the letter for Aran when he returns to the present.

- (I'm not sure exactly what happens to Evan afterwards, as I never got that far in his quests. All I remember from videos is that he eventually finds Afrien (Mir's parent dragon) frozen within Rien, with Afrien talking to Evan through a vision of the past, Evan acting as the past Dragon Master hero Freed during the vision. Gentlemanly Bastard immediately shows up to complicate things afterwards. Evan then visits every town that the Black Wings sent him to, in order to find out what he was really doing. He then decides to track down Gentlemanly Bastard in Ludibrium, declare that he's breaking off from the Black Wings, and kick his ass.)

- Aran returns to the present and finds that Athena had been ambushed by the Giant, who is reading the letter. Aran quickly exacts vengance on the Giant and gets the letter back, although the Giant manages to escape.
- Aran personally delivers the letter to Nineheart.
- The Cygnus recruit is alerted of the presence of someone impersonating the Cygnus job instructors. The recruit finds Giant within Ereve, and kicks his ass.
- The Cygnus recruit is then alerted of something happening within Leafre. A hole in the magical defenses surrounding Ereve is found, and the Dark Witch exploits it, entering Ereve and covering the island in a curse. The recruit quickly rushes back and kicks the Dark Witch's ass.
- Aran returns to Ereve, and Nineheart tells him that the letter was actually telling the Knights of Cygnus to protect the Seal Stone of Ereve, known as the Tears of Shinsoo, or something like that.

The Evan part is actually pretty accurate, as I'm pretty sure the storyline doesn't really go after level 70.

Because I'm bored, I'm going to try to explain how all of the new jobs (save for Resistance since I don't know enough about their quests yet) tie in with each other regarding the Black Wings. I'll try to do it in timeline form.

As far as I know, Dual Blades are doing their own thing unrelated to the Black Mage story, completely seperate from the Evan/Aran/Cygnus story.

- Evan finds Mir.
- The curse on Aran fades and Lilin wakes him up.
- A promising recruit joins the ranks of the Knights of Cygnus.

- The Cygnus recruit finds the Puppeteer and kicks his ass.
- Aran finds the Puppeteer and kicks his ass some more. (I recall the Puppeteer saying something about having been weakened by a Knight of Cygnus beforehand)
- The Puppeteer and the giant (forgot his name) find Tru, ambush Aran, and the Puppeteer gets his ass kicked yet again.
- Evan stumbles upon the Puppeteer's base, and a giant puppet pleads for Evan to find some potions to save its master (the puppeteer).
- Evan later returns to find the giant puppet offering him to join 'a group dedicated to helping the Maple World'.
- Aran finds the Puppeteer in his new hideout, fights him a third time, and finishes him off.
- Aran's mission now is to save as many of the Seal Stones as possible, despite not knowing exactly what their purpose is.
- Tru later mentions that he found the Seal Stone of Victoria Island, and mentions that he simply got ahold of it due to his 'connections' (possible plot point for one of the next Legends?)

- While trying to find out more about Mir and Onyx Dragons, Evan joins the ranks of the Black Wings, tricked into believing that they're an organization that helps the Maple world. His first assignment involves the Nependaths in Orbis.
- Aran later arrives to find Orbis in chaos. He deals with the Giant Nependaths, and defeats the Giant. 'Gentlemanly Bastard' appears and takes the Seal Stone of Orbis anyways.
- Evan's next assignment is in Mu Lung. Aran later arrives, deals with this Shadow Warrior, and then Gentlemanly Bastard appears and takes the Seal Stone of Mu Lung anyways.
- Evan's next assignment is in Ludibrium.
- Aran's attention is then directed to the ancient Elin Forest, to see if Athena Pierce knew anything about the Seal Stones. Athena mentions having a Seal Stone within the library. Of course, Gentlemanly Bastard appears and takes it.
- Athena then mentions that she had a letter that Aran wrote that was supposed to be delivered to Cygnus. Aran couldn't take it and read it since it was coming from past Athena. Athena promises to keep the letter for Aran when he returns to the present.

- (I'm not sure exactly what happens to Evan afterwards, as I never got that far in his quests. All I remember from videos is that he eventually finds Afrien (Mir's parent dragon) frozen within Rien, with Afrien talking to Evan through a vision of the past, Evan acting as the past Dragon Master hero Freed during the vision. Gentlemanly Bastard immediately shows up to complicate things afterwards. Evan then visits every town that the Black Wings sent him to, in order to find out what he was really doing. He then decides to track down Gentlemanly Bastard in Ludibrium, declare that he's breaking off from the Black Wings, and kick his ass.)

- Aran returns to the present and finds that Athena had been ambushed by the Giant, who is reading the letter. Aran quickly exacts vengance on the Giant and gets the letter back, although the Giant manages to escape.
- Aran personally delivers the letter to Nineheart.
- The Cygnus recruit is alerted of the presence of someone impersonating the Cygnus job instructors. The recruit finds Giant within Ereve, and kicks his ass.
- The Cygnus recruit is then alerted of something happening within Leafre. A hole in the magical defenses surrounding Ereve is found, and the Dark Witch exploits it, entering Ereve and covering the island in a curse. The recruit quickly rushes back and kicks the Dark Witch's ass.
- Aran returns to Ereve, and Nineheart tells him that the letter was actually telling the Knights of Cygnus to protect the Seal Stone of Ereve, known as the Tears of Shinsoo, or something like that.

Ahhh, thank you so much! That cleared a lot of things up for me.

The Prophecy of the Black Mage

From the oldest scrolls crumbling into dust, in the most hidden libraries of Maple World, the ancients tell of the secret prophecy of the Black Mage. The Black Mage is not vanquished, he is not gone, they say. He merely awaits his opportunity to return and conquer.

The Black Mage defies reason, sustained by his rage. For too long the Black Mage has lain dormant, seething in his own hatred and delighting in his vision for the ruin of Maple World. The ancient prophecy warned that this day would come.

It was not heeded.

From the histories
The First Rise and Fall

“The Black Mage was born as other men, child of a mother and father who loved him, citizen of a
peaceful town ( Edelstein ) filled with friendly prosperous citizens. Few remembered the preternaturally bright
child who would grow into a brilliant young man, eager to delve into the secrets of magic. Some
saw the arrogant temperament, impatience, and a ready anger that he unleashed with little
provocation, but the black hole at the center of his soul that might have foreshadowed what he
would become was hidden from their sight.

The first reign of the Black Mage began as many tyrannies did – with a call for change. The Black
Mage saw the chaos in Maple World and believed that the people could not be trusted to make
their own decisions. He felt that they needed a benevolent king to control every aspect of their
lives and he rose to power using noble ideals such as peace and freedom. The people believed
his words and embraced his voice. Soon, they found the only peace offered by the Black Mage
was the peace of the grave and the only freedom was freedom from responsibility that marks a
slave. The reign of the Black Mage was unprecedented in its cruelty, all done in the name of the
greater good.

In time, Maple World fought back. Heroes great and small struggled against the Black Mage. The
Black Mage battled against them mightily, screaming all the while that these ungrateful children
did not understand his genius and rejected his wisdom. In time, he descended into madness,
deciding if the world would not accord him the obedience and worship that is his due, it would have
to be destroyed. The last battles against the Black Mage exacted a terrible price from Maple
World but he was at last defeated, though heroes such as the Polearm-wielder ( Aran ) and the Dragon ( Evan ). The final three “Legendary” classes have yet to be reviled.
King sacrificed mightily for the safety of the world.”

The Sufferings of Maple World

In the years that followed, many of the Black Mage’s minions worked in ways both gross and subtle to bring about his return. Dedicated to the evil man they believed would one day return to help them rule, scourges such as Pink Bean, Horntail, and the Dragon Riders plagued the countryside, presaging the coming of their dark master.

Fortunately for the good people of Maple World, those of good will responded. Explorers and Cygnus Knights beyond number battled against all manner of evil monsters. Great heroes from the past returned and a new Dragon-friend rose to lead the fight.

Cygnus Knights

They began when the current empress of the Maple World, a young girl named Cygnus, sensed the evil Dark Magician lurking around the peaceful Maple World. Dark Magician is known for trying to destroy the Maple World, but he previously failed to do so. Now he has returned to once again wreak havoc. Empress Cygnus, aware of Dark Magician's actions, has begun to recruit brave Maplers to become Cygnus Knights whose duty will be to fight off the Dark Magician and his wicked followers.

The Heart of Darkness

Alas, it is said that those who struggle for right shall fail. In time, the Black Mage will return. Yet the villains who work for such an end are the greater fools. They believe that the Black Mage returns to place them as the new ruling class that will dominate Maple World but the “Black Mage” that they long for will be gone. What they bring back will be a darkness beyond anything they can imagine.
The Black Mage has spent the long years after his defeat in a place beyond light, beyond time, beyond mercy. He has planned his vengeance not just on the people of Maple World, but on all of existence. When he returns, all of creation will feel the lash of his wrath.

Rise of the Resistance

Edelstein is now the home of the Black Wings, a secret cult dedicated to the resurrection of the Black Mage. They recently came out of hiding and took over Edelstein, oppressing the populace into silence while working hard to resurrect their foul master.
But the Black Wings' arrogance may yet be their undoing. Deep in the hearts of the down-trodden populace, a flame sparks and the good people of Edelstein think the unthinkable.
They must resist. The Resistance is the flame in the darkness. They are the rebellion against the Black Wings and they will free their town, no matter the cost. Using new magic and their natural skills, new heroes will join the legends of Maple World to battle the minions of the Black Mage. Hiding as ordinary Edelstein citizens by day, by night a growing legion will band together to overthrow the Black Wings.
One day, the Resistance decided to launch their ultimate attack and asked the Knights to help them. Without hesitation, the Empress willingly agreed to provide support. However, the Cygnus Knights broke their promise and Edelstein was defeated, resulting in more severe oppression and surveillance of its residents. After this the Black Wings, were able to resurrect their foul master.

From the Prophecy:

Know ye this if you would recognize the time of the Black Mage’s return. In a small town otherwise
hidden from the world, a secret cabal will raise the thing that used to be the Black Mage and bring
it back into the world. The day of his coming shall never be forgotten. At his arrival, all of
existence shall wink out, and when it returns, nothing will be the same.

This event shall be forever called the “Big Bang.”

Maple World will be changed. Some changes will be subtle. Monsters that were once weak will
grow strong. Others that were strong shall grow weaker. The powers of magic shall change. Spells that are commonplace will no longer work and the heroes of Maple World will display abilities never before seen. The world and its cities and towns will move, familiar landmarks will disappear or be altered beyond recognition, and new lands will arise to be explored. It will be the Maple World we love – but everything will be different.

The Big Bang
The Big Bang was the day that the power of the Black Mage touched reality. For a brief instant all of existence…ceased to exist. When it returned, nothing was the same. Even as the citizens of Maple World explore their new reality, the Black Wings of Edelstein continue their dark work.

After ‘Big Bang’ comes MapleStory Chaos!

Like ‘Big Bang’, the ‘Chaos’ update will come in three parts:
Return of the Hero’ is also known as the reorganization update and will make the heroes stronger and better.
Technological Age’ is the second update that will add new profession skills for your character.
And as last, ‘The Huge War’ is the last update.

For more background info Isaac did this a while ago.
http://www.maplewiki.net/index.php?title...by_IsaacGS

- The Puppeteer and the Shapeshifter (forgot his name) find Tru, ambush Aran, and the Puppeteer gets his ass kicked yet again.
- Aran returns to the present and finds that Athena had been ambushed by the Shapeshifter, who is reading the letter. Aran quickly exacts vengance on the Shapeshifter and gets the letter back, although the Giant manages to escape.
- The Cygnus recruit is alerted of the presence of someone impersonating the Cygnus job instructors. The recruit finds Shapeshifter within Ereve, and kicks his ass.

Fixed the above. The "Giant" you're thinking of(in the following sentences) is actually the Shapeshifter guy (his name was unrevealed for Aran, but I think it gets revealed for the Cygnus Knights' 3rd job advancement? Someone correct me if I'm wrong). The actual Giant's name is something like Dargoth or Daggoth or something.

Oh, and as for the Ludibrium assignment for Evan, the Gentleman asks Evan to meet up with him at this frog house (it's locked for everyone else) in the Ludibrium Village map. He asks Evan to eliminate Master Soul Teddies and collect their Free Spirits; he immediately sends him to this guarded door in Terrace Hall, chasing a guard away with a Free Spirit, as well as eliminating a block golem guarding the place

Later on, Evan finds out that his assignment helped the Black Wings retrieve the Seal Stone of Ludibrium, which was being heavily guarded.

Speaking of the seal stones, wich ones are technically left after all the stories are done?

Let's see...
Ludibrum: Taken
Orbis: Taken
Victoria: ¿Taken?
Mu lung: Taken
Ariant: We can assume it's taken
Leafer: I don't even know if they have one.
Shinsoo's tear: I think it's still there.

So technically, every single seal stone, except for Shinsoo's tear has been taken. Unless I am wrong in any seal stone.

^ Speaking of the seal stones, what do they do? Or is it just to revive the black mage? What other job do they serve?

Ludibrum: Taken.
Orbis: Taken.
Victoria: Safe.
Mu lung: Taken
Shinsoo's tear: Safe.

Now that I think about it. Wouldn't Ellin Forest's seal stone being taken, mean that Victoria Island's is gone too? Since it's a time warp to the past? a_@

Now that I think about it. Wouldn't Ellin Forest's seal stone being taken, mean that Victoria Island's is gone too? Since it's a time warp to the past? a_@

Yeah, I gues it's true. But... weren't there supposed to be 7 seal stones? (Either that or I halucinated during the Aran quests)

^ Speaking of the seal stones, what do they do? Or is it just to revive the black mage? What other job do they serve?

Think of the Horcruxes. They are pieces of him, if they are all toghether, then he can revive.

Orocruses

Horcruxes. That's a good thought.

Ok that makes sense. I figured out how to kill him then... we just higher Harry potter to take care of it.

Ok that makes sense. I figured out how to kill him then... we just higher Harry potter to take care of it.

or like the crystal skulls in the american dragon where you can do anything if you have all of it.

or like the crystal skulls in the american dragon where you can do anything if you have all of it.

No, the seals stones are specifically mentioned as necesary to revive the black mage, but nothing is mentioned about them being "dragon balls"

Wasn't the seal stone of victoria island was taken to lilin by aran? i don't recall them getting that one, but it has been ages since I did arans quests

Wasn't the seal stone of victoria island was taken to lilin by aran? i don't recall them getting that one, but it has been ages since I did arans quests

It was. However:

Now that I think about it. Wouldn't Ellin Forest's seal stone being taken, mean that Victoria Island's is gone too? Since it's a time warp to the past? a_@

It was. However:

Doesn't make sense really. We know for a fact that the seal stone was in trus possesion in the present. Even if they were the same, he got his hands on it in the immediate timeline, regardless of how the past went, whether they were the same and someone else stole it back, or they're different stones, its now safe, unless the black wings at some point steal it again from rien.

Edit: of course, that doesn't mean the black wings couldn't have already gone and done whatever they needed the stone for in the time between them taking it from ellin, and tru finding it again. We don't really have enough specific details to say they need them all at once for reviving the black mage, just that they needed them for ...something. Without more information, we can't really tell. Unless that comes up in the resistance storyline somewhere, we don't really know