#korilla

I don't think we know how old Raphael is exactly. There is no direct reference to how long cambions can live but they are seen as half-mortals and would age unlike devils. However Raphael is not your typical cambion. His true form in his fight is generally accepted by fandom to be a pit fiend, not a simple cambion.

So if we make a compromise between a true devil and a cambion, a very powerful cambion like Raphael should be near immortal. (Frankly, I think calling Raphael a cambion is not enough. He is way more powerful than regular cambions specially compared to how they are described in the Monster Manual)

The dwarf exodus is old but Raphael is already at least 1831 years old since he mentions witnessing Karsus's Folly which happens in -339 DR and we are in 1492 DR in the game. This already makes him almost two millennia old, which also supports he's really a pit fiend or a different devil and not a simple cambion.

Going back to the connection with Hope and Korilla and the dwarves. Even if he hadn't seen the exodus himself, he could have made contact with the dwarves that created Tourmaline Depths according to Amanita. Which brings me to the origin of the dwarf sisters and how old Raphael actually could be.

Korilla mentions in the Taming Hope: Part One, she remembers the lullaby Hope sings to Raphael so they had mortal and mundane lives before they got entangled with Raphael.

Some time after this, Bhaerynden fell to the drow shortly after their Descent following the Crown Wars, and these southern dwarves were driven into exile, ending the ancient kingdom. Their descendants became known as the gold dwarves. source

Another connection to Bhaerynden is Korilla and Hope are both gold dwarves. To me it feels like devs leaving this particular book to be found in House of Hope is their way of doing cheeky little environmental storytelling and making us think "What if...?"

The history of dwarves from Bhaerynden is filled with chaotic events. First a group of them leave westward and create shield dwarves and then weakened by this schism, the kingdom falls to drow invaders, driven to exile. This particular set of dwarves create gold dwarves which is likely the ancestors of Hope and Korilla. Since Amanita mentions exiles from Bhaerynden we now have a connection between the two.

It makes me wonder if Raphael found Korilla and Hope in the Tourmaline Depths when the dwarves who built that place was still living there. Maybe their parents made a deal with Raphael. He got their daughters in exchange for something. It sounds like it could happen considering the situation of the dwarves who were exiled.

Which leads me to my ultimate conclusion: Hope and Korilla are also a few millennia old, just like Raphael. Considering his power, I think he can easily slow down his warlock's aging process, especially when she's residing in his house, his domain. This is to say that's how big his obsession with Hope is. Also explains why Korilla trusts him so much. She must have seen him win every deal. Other than her sister and this adventurer, no-one was able to deny him.

All this put together an image comes to my mind. Raphael, son of Mephistopheles, getting started on being a big bad important devil and steal everything from his father. He's good at it. Really good. Even though his father doesn't care, it still matters who's son Raphael is so he starts out gifted to begin with. He makes deals no-one can ever refuse for a few centuries until he comes across Hope. The first who ever denied him what he wants.

Her name could have been something else entirely and it was forgotten through the centuries of her entrapment though it would be a divine irony if she was indeed named Hope from the beginning. She could have been a descendant of royalty, the chosen of a god or its most devout cleric but who she was no longer mattered. She committed the greatest sin one could against Raphael. She denied him and for that she had to pay. She was now a metaphor in his House of Hope. A constant reminder of his failure and his Hope – because he was sure, one day he was going to break her.

I really thought I would be doing more devlog posts! I keep forgetting. And when I do remember, I chicken out. Doing public check-ins (even brief ones!) like this keeps me accountable, so I need to let go of my fear of sharing things that aren't ultra-polished.

Progress is going well, especially on the art front. I am reaching the milestone of having completed the sprites. While I probably don't need to light a fire under my own ass, I am going to do so anyway by sharing finished side character sprites once in a while for the next few weeks.

After that, I want to share an... exciting development in the scope of the dating sim.

Anyway, making a game is such a long road, but it's a thrilling one when I know there are people waiting to experience it at the end of it. If you're reading this, I hope you're having a good day. And if you aren't, I hope tomorrow is a brighter one.

𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒

The Devil You Do Devlog Archive