by Erik Setser

Created on: May 30, 2009

Background Info:

Late in the Third Millennium AD, mankind has extended its reaches far beyond the edge of the solar system. This advent of interstellar travel eventually led to the discovery of Proteus (aptly named for the Greek sea god, whose name is synonymous with versatility), a planet composed entirely of Plast, the most valuable - and potentially most dangerous - material known to man. The unique molecular structure of Plast allows it to be shaped via the telekinetic efforts of people known as Shapers, allowing it to be used for the development of everything from doors and windows to radio transmitters and even entire cities.

Enter Paavo, by far the most talented Shaper alive. Some time before the events of Alter Echo, he embarked on a pilgrimage to Proteus for research purposes, faking his own death to avoid being bothered. There, he conducted experiments on the biological relations between humans and Plast. Nobody can say for certain if it was some sort of neurological reaction, the solitude or an ego-driven predisposition, but something drove him beyond the grasp of human rationale as a result.

Here is where the events of the game begin. Strange activity on Proteus has prompted the deployment of a reconaissance team consisting of Arana, the pilot and engineer, Stome, the hardened soldier, and Nevin, a budding Shaper. Soon after entering Proteus's atmosphere, their ship crashes inexplicably, separating the three. Nevin awakes to find himself adorned in a strange blue and yellow suit, armed with a sword.

A voice, seemingly from nowhere, explains the situation to him. Paavo found a way to biologically infuse himself with the Plast, allowing him to not only manipulate a myriad of bodies for himself, using Plast as a second skin, but resulted in his having a Shaper's dominion over the entire planet. The planet then developed something of a nervous system, becoming a organic entity in and of itself, which permitted Paavo to spawn living creatures from the planet's surface. His intentions are unknown at this point, but judging by the swarms of vicious monsters, it seems unlikely that he's simply doing research at this point.

Despite his self-perception as a god, Paavo made one fatal flaw in his rise to grandeur. When the planet developed a nervous system, with it came conscious thought and thus sentience. This sentience is capable of acting independently from Paavo's influence - though it generally complies out of fear and has trouble contesting Paavo's

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