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Deus Machina Demonbane

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“ Coming from the hate-scorched sky——
With righteous anger burning in our hearts——
We draw forth the sword that smites evil!
Thou art the innocent blade——Demonbane! 		„


This subject is written on a topic in the real world and reflects factual information. This subject contains information from the Expanded Cthulhu Mythos, and not based on H.P. Lovecraft's works directly. Deus Machina Demonbane, also known as Zanma Taisei Demonbane (斬魔大聖デモンベイン) in Japanese, is the first installment of the Demonbane Mythos franchise by Nitroplus. It was released on April 25, 2003, as an eroge visual novel for PC. The game was later localized into English by JAST USA and released on May 13, 2011.

An all-ages remake version that removes all the H-scenes with newly written content was released on July 1, 2004 for the PlayStation 2. It was later ported to the PC on April 26, 2019.

Synopsis[]

The main premise revolves around Daijuuji Kurou, a poor detective living in Arkham City. One day, he received a request from Hadou Ruri of Hadou Financial Group to search for a grimoire called the Necronomicon. While he initially refuses, Ruri offered him a large sum of money upon completion of her request, which leads Kurou to accept. As Kurou searches for the book, he unexpectedly runs into Al Azif, a pretty girl who is actually the humanoid manifestation of the Necronomicon. They forge a contract with each other, bestowing Kurou with powerful magic. Soon afterwards, Al also activated Demonbane, a Deus Machina owned by the Hadou Financial Group, to combat the menace from the occultist terrorist organization known as the Black Lodge, beginning the war between them. However, unbeknownst to all of them, the events and actions of the story are secretly being manipulated by a mysterious malevolent entity behind the shadows for their own personal agenda that threatens creation itself.

Chapters[]

  • Common route:
    • Chapter 1: I AM PROVIDENCE
    • Chapter 2: THE OMEN
    • Chapter 3: TAKE ME HIGHER
    • Chapter 4: CHILD'S PLAY
    • Chapter 5: I, ROBOT
    • Chapter 6: THE INVADERS
    • Chapter 7: THE SHADOW OVER INNSMOUTH
    • Chapter 8: THE THING THAT WALKED ON THE WIND
  • Al Azif route:
    • Chapter 9: QUO VADIS
    • Chapter 10: BIG "C"
    • Chapter 11: THE CROW
    • Chapter 12: THE HUNT
    • Chapter 13: BLADE RUNNER
    • Chapter 14: THE RETURN OF THE SORCEROR
    • Chapter 15: STRANGE EONS
  • Hadou Ruri route:
    • Chapter 9: QUO VADIS
    • Chapter 10: BIG "C"
    • Chapter 11: THE SHINING
    • Chapter 12: THE HUNT
    • Chapter 13: THE HAUNTER OF THE DARK
    • Chapter 14: THE RETURN OF THE SORCEROR
    • Chapter 15: STRANGE EONS
  • Leica Crusade route:
    • Chapter 9: QUO VADIS
    • Chapter 10: BIG "C"
    • Chapter 11: JOAN OF ARC
    • Chapter 12: THE HUNT
    • Chapter 13: BLADE RUNNER
    • Chapter 14: THE CALL OF CTHULHU
    • Chapter 15: STRANGE EONS

Mythos Connections[]

  • In the opening scene, the Deus Machina Liber Legis displayed one of its attacks called “Darkness of N'kai”, where it launched a series of micro-black holes.

Common route[]

  • Chapter 1: I AM PROVIDENCE
    • The title "I am Providence" is a reference to the famous quote by H. P. Lovecraft himself, taken from one of his personal letters. It is a nod to Lovecraft's hometown Providence but can also be interpreted as "I am the divine providence".
    • Daijuuji Kurou is the Romaji spelling of Titus Crow.
    • Much of the story takes place in Arkham City.
    • Kurou is an ex-student from Miskatonic University. Armitage is mentioned as one of the professors, much like his original depiction in "The Dunwich Horror".
    • Winfield, Hadou Ruri's personal bodyguard and head butler of the Hadou Financial Group, is named after Lovecraft's father.
    • When Kurou was searching for the grimoire on behalf of Ruri's request, he came to visit a book store operated by a mysterious librarian named Nya. There, she introduced to him some of the books such as the Key of Solomon, the Lemegeton, the Grand Grimoire, the Black Pullet, the Book of Dzyan, and the Book of Loagaeth. However, Nya stated that the kind of grimoire Kurou needed was none of the above, but the Necronomicon itself.
    • Doctor West is named after and loosely based on Dr. Herbert West, the titular character from "Herbert West--Reanimator".
    • Al Azif is the humanoid manifestation of the Necronomicon, created by Abdul Alhazred. Her name is derived from the Arabic title Kitab al-Azif.
    • The phrase "That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die" appeared when Kurou formed a contract with Al.
    • The Naacal Code was transferred by Ruri in order to allow Demonbane to use its finishing move, the Lemuria Impact.
  • Chapter 2: THE OMEN
    • The main antagonist is revealed to be Master Therion, leader of the Black Lodge and pilot of the Deus Machina Liber Legis. Master Therion is one of the nicknames of the English occultist Aleister Crowley, and Liber Legis is taken from Liber AL vel Legis, the sacred book about Thelema written by Crowley himself.
    • When Kurou persuaded Al to stop following him, she describes herself as being more persistent than the Hounds of Tindalos.
    • The three children in Leica’s church: George, Colin, and Alison are based on George Hay, Colin Wilson, and Alison Hay respectively. George Hay was an editor for a version of the Necronomicon, while Colin Wilson is a British philosopher who wrote several stories for the Cthulhu Mythos, and Alison Hay is the daughter of George Hay.
    • Master Therion’s grimoire is the Pnakotic Manuscripts, with a humanoid manifestation named Etheldreda. Her name is derived from Crowley’s pet dog.
  • Chapter 3: TAKE ME HIGHER
    • The title is a reference to the theme song of Ultraman Tiga. The series is notable for incorporating elements from the Cthulhu Mythos, including the main antagonist being Ghatanothoa.
    • During the magic training, Al created the Night-gaunt monster for Kurou to practice his combat skill.
    • One of Al’s missing fragments is Atlach-Nacha, the God of Spiders who inhabits under Mount Voormithadreth.
    • Demonbane’s kick move is Atlantis Strike, which utilizes the space-time distortion mechanism called Timaeus and Critias, named after two of the more notable works by the Greek philosopher Plato.
  • Chapter 4: CHILD'S PLAY
    • Al's pet is a one-eyed orange Shoggoth named Dunsany (a reference to Lord Dunsany), who communicates by making "Tekeli-li" sounds. The creature is also used as her personal bed.
    • Sonia is one of the maids who support Ruri. Her name is derived from Sonia Greene, a pulp fiction writer and Lovecraft’s late wife.
    • The second lost page of Al is the Mirror of Nitocris, which has the power to thin the boundary between fantasy and reality. It was temporarily used by Alison to create imaginary creatures from the story Alice in Wonderland.
  • Chapter 5: I, ROBOT
    • The restaurant where Doctor West had the Genghis Khan meal was called Niggurath.
    • West created an android girl named Elsa, a reference to Elsa Lanchester, the actress who played titular character in the horror film Bride of Frankenstein. Mary Shelley's original novel Frankenstein was also the basis for "Herbert West--Reanimator", as both stories involve mad scientists who resurrect the dead.
    • Elsa has a magic cannon called "Dig Me No Grave".
    • Al recovered her pages concerning the Scimitar of Barzai, named after Barzai the Wise from the short story "The Other Gods".
  • Chapter 6: THE INVADERS
    • The title is a reference to Henry Kuttner's short story of the same name.
    • The Scimitar of Barzai was described to be a tool used as a medium for arcane rituals.
    • One of the Anticross, Tiberius, has a maggot-infested grimoire called De Vermis Mysteriis. The book gave him the ability of necromancy and made himself immortal. It was also used to pilot his Deus Machina, Belzebuth.
    • Al's fragments which were stolen by Black Lodge and briefly unleashed by Belzebuth to attack Demonbane contain the records about Cthugha, a flaming Great Old One who lives in the star of Fomalhaut.
    • The incantation of Cthugha is "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthugha Fomalhaut n'gha-ghaa naf'lthagn. Ia! Cthugha!"
  • Chapter 7: THE SHADOW OVER INNSMOUTH
    • The title is a reference to Lovecraft's novella of the same name.
    • The hotel where Kurou and the others stayed at was called Gilman House, a location also featured in the original novella.
    • During a conversation about the people of Innsmouth, Chiaki, one of the Hadou maids, mentioned the Innsmouth look.
    • The amphibian humanoid monsters are called Deep Ones, who constantly recite a single verse "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!".
    • The Deep Ones, aided by an Anticross named Vespasianus, used their grimoire the R'lyeh Text to summon their god Dagon. The Dagon is the lord of Deep Ones and kindred of the gods that sleep under the sea, worshipped as a merman-god by the ancient Philistines.
    • When Kurou attacked Vespasianus, the Anticross cast a spell called "Iqhui dlosh odhqlonqh" to blast him away. The spell was taken from Hziulquoigmnzhah's words to Eibon in Clark Ashton Smith's short story "The Door to Saturn", which translates to "Be on your way".
    • When Ruri was about to have her soul completely drained by Dagon's roar, Al deployed the Elder Sign to protect her. It is the fourth sign recorded in the book of Necronomicon used to banish the forces of menace and antagonism.
    • Much like the original novella, the Dagon had a consort known as Mother Hydra.
    • Nya expressed her disdain upon witnessing Kurou using Cthugha's power to destroy both Dagon and Hydra. This is a reference to Nya's true identity and their well-known rivalry with Cthugha which was first established August Derleth's short story "The Dweller in Darkness".
  • Chapter 8: THE THING THAT WALKED ON THE WIND

Al Azif route[]

  • Chapter 9: QUO VADIS
    • When the mysterious girl Ennea (whose actual identity was the Anticross Nero and the Tyrant) was temporarily living at Kurou's house, at one point she happily hummed "Ia~! Shub-Niggurath~".
    • Kurou screamed for his Golden mead when Al sent him flying in the bathroom.
    • The chapter featured two new Anticross members: Claudius and Caligula. Claudius can manipulate winds thanks to his grimoire, the Celaeno Fragments, which gives him access to Hastur's power, while Caligula's herculean strength is based on water and comes from the Cthäat Aquadingen. Their Deus Machina were named Lord Byakhee and Kraken, respectively.
    • Claudius and Caligula's bizarre hostile relationship is a reference to the symbiosis of Water and Wind that can be found in Derleth's works regarding the Elemental Theory of Great Old Ones.
    • The quote "Hear ye the Voice of dread Hastur, hear the mournful sigh of the vortex, the mad rushing of the Ultimate Wind that Swirls darkly amongst the silent stars" said by Al was directly taken from "Ye Voice of Hastur" in the English version of the Necronomicon. Furthermore, Hastur was referred to as "Him Who Is Not to be Named" and the "Lord of Interstellar Spaces".
    • Claudius chanted "Ia! Ia! Hastur! Hastur cf'ayak'vulgtmm vugtlagln vulgtmm" and "Ai! Ai! Hastur" to summon his Lord Byakhee.
    • Nero's grimoire is the Unaussprechlichen Kulten, which was used to pilot her Deus Machina Nameless One in later chapters and an alternate version of chapter 9 in Leica route.
    • Nya was addressed by Nero as "Faceless", a reference to one of her more common aliases the "Faceless God".
  • Chapter 10: BIG "C"
    • The title is a reference to Brian Lumley's short story of the same name.
    • The pair of handguns that Kurou obtained from Nero in chapter 9 was Cthugha and Ithaqua. These guns used special bullets called "The Minions of Cthugha" and "Wendigo the Blackwood". Cthugha's bullets contain the powder of Ibn Ghazi, which can cause materialization of non-corporeal entities.
    • The Closed Sector 13 where the Anticross gathered was the Blasted Heath. This area was known as a wasteland of death contaminated by an ultra-high amount of miasma and madness, much like its original counterpart from Lovecraft’s short story "The Colour Out of Space".
    • Other Anticrosses showed their grimoires as follows:
      • Augustus' was The Golden Bough, which he used to pilot Legacy of Gold.
      • Vespasianus' was the Book of Eibon, which he used to pilot Cykranosh.
      • Titus' was Cultes des Goules, which he used to pilot Ogre.
    • Black Lodge's ultimate goal was to summon the Great Old One Cthulhu, an alien deity who once ruled over primordial Earth but has fallen into his eternal slumber under the stone city of R'lyeh.
    • Cthulhu's summoning incantation was identical to the contents written in "Ye Adjuration of Great Cthulhu" from the Necronomicon.
    • Master Therion summoned multiple dog-like creatures that emerged from every angle of the world leaders' conference room to slaughter them.
    • Liber Legis' technique used to oppose Demonbane's Lemuria Impact was called Hyperborea Zero-Drive.
    • While narrating her backstory, Al recaps much of the events from Lovecraft's "History of the Necronomicon".
  • Chapter 11: THE CROW
  • Chapter 12: THE HUNT
  • Chapter 13: BLADE RUNNER
    • In a flashback of Al Azif, she and her Deus Machina Aeon killed a certain cosmic horror monster whose death throes were a cry of help to its father.
    • Belzebuth's camouflage disc-shaped weapons are called Star Vampires.
    • The Shining Trapezohedron made its official debut in the form of a chaotic jet-black crystal that transformed into a twin-bladed sword. The artifact can carve a rift in space and drag its victim into the abyss.
  • Chapter 14: THE RETURN OF THE SORCEROR
    • The title is a reference to Smith's short story of the same name.
    • With all of Al's pages recovered, Demonbane gained a flight module called Shantak, which was described to be the wings of the Cold Waste.
    • R'lyeh was located at 47'9" South and 126'43" West.
    • The Alert incident on March 23, 1925 was mentioned during the briefing about Cthulhu.
    • The flagship of Hadou fleet was named Nodens.
    • Master Therion recited the Ninth Verse to call forth the Outer God Yog-Sothoth. It was revealed that he was the inhuman offspring between Nero and said Outer God. Consequently, the accursed monsters at Dunwich were also his brothers.
    • Before transitioning into a giant gate, Yog-Sothoth manifested as a set of rainbow-colored spheres with thirteen different descriptions. This is a reference to the thirteen Globes of Yog-Sothoth from "To Conjure of Ye Globes" chapter of the Necronomicon.
    • The quote depicting Yog-Sothoth's abstract nature was cited from Lovecraft's short story "Through the Gates of the Silver Key".
  • Chapter 15: STRANGE EONS
    • The title is a reference to Robert Bloch's novel of the same name.
    • Once the Demonbane trio entered the gate and reached a bloody space of countless doors, they were guided by 'Umr At-Tawil to the next location.
    • The final battle between Demonbane and Liber Legis took place in various worlds. Some of them include:
      • The Great Library of Celaeno in the Pleiades star cluster, which is Hastur's domain. Many bat-winged humanoid creatures can be seen flying in the sky above.
      • The barren planet of Yaddith, where it is illuminated by five suns. Deep beneath the Earth are massive worm-like creatures called Dholes lurking in the unseen caverns. Kurou unconsciously muttered Zkauba and Randolph upon arriving into this world.
    • Nya's true nature was the Faceless God of a Thousand Forms and the Crawling Chaos, Nyarlathotep. Her goal was to break the Shining Trapezohedron and set free the Court of Azathoth. Prior to the story, Nyarlathotep has assumed other appearances like the Black Pharaoh or Father Ny. However, her most common form is the creeping, howling darkness with a three-lobed burning eye.
    • Like its original depiction in Lovecraft's Mythos, Azathoth (also known as the Blind-Idiot God or the Daemon Sultan) is the creator of all creation who sleeps at the center of the cosmos.
    • In one scene of the Bad Ending after the Trapezohedron was broken and the Court of Azathoth was released into the universe, Kurou met an insect salesman who was selling brains from Rhode Island Hospital. This is a reference to the same hospital where Lovecraft passed away,[1] while the scene itself is also a parody of Fritz Leiber's "To Arkham and the Stars". Following this ending, when Kurou entered the Secret Library of Miskatonic University, he could hear the cry of the Whippoorwills.
    • In the Good Ending, after Kurou and Al thwarted the plot of Nyarlathotep, they ascended to the realm of godhood and became a higher existence known as the Elder Gods. They were responsible for the defeat of Azathoth and his banishment in the Shining Trapezohedron, much like Derleth's Mythos.
    • In the Happy Ending, if the player chooses the option to send Kurou back to his home world, Demonbane would exert the final power from its magical engine, the "Keeper of the Silver Key", to re-open the gate. The name is a combination of Lovecraft's short story "The Silver Key" and Derleth's "The Keeper of the Key" from his series The Trail of Cthulhu.

Hadou Ruri route[]

  • Chapter 9: QUO VADIS
    • During the duel between Master Therion and Hadou Kouzou, Master Therion taunted Hadou that he will violate and feed his granddaughter to the fish of Y'ha-nthlei.
    • Dunsany's favorite food is penguin meat from the South Pole, a reference to the Shoggoths' relationship with Albino penguins in Lovecraft's original novella At the Mountains of Madness.
  • Chapter 13: THE HAUNTER OF THE DARK
    • The title is a reference to Lovecraft's short story of the same name.
    • During the time when Kurou was still a student at Miskatonic, he came across a vast number of grimoires in its library:
    • The goat-faced monster that terrorized Kurou in the past was none other than Wilbur Whateley. His backstory and the Dunwich incident's narration were identical to Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror".
    • Tiberius chanted "Tibi, Magnum Innominandum, signa stellarum nigrarum et bufaniformis Sadoquae sigillum" when he used the Star Vampires, which can be translated into "To thee, the great Not-to-Be-Named, the signs of the black stars, and the seal of the toad-shaped Tsathoggua".
  • Chapter 15: STRANGE EONS
    • Kingsport was mentioned in a conversation about urban development between Winfield and Ruri.

Leica Crusade route[]

References[]

  1. ↑ Rhode Island Hospital at Brown University
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