Forspoken thrusts players into the shoes of Frey Holland, an ordinary young woman who finds herself transported to the fantastical land of Athia. As Frey navigates this strange new realm, she encounters a diverse array of characters who impact her journey in meaningful ways. In this blog post, we‘ll take a deep dive into the key figures that Frey crosses paths with over the course of her epic adventure.
Frey Holland – The Reluctant Heroine
Frey begins her tale as a streetwise yet vulnerable girl from New York City struggling to overcome a difficult past. Abandoned as an infant and bounced between foster homes, Frey has grown up feeling disconnected and believing she doesn‘t belong anywhere. This sense of isolation has led Frey to make questionable choices – she‘s awaiting trial for a petty crime when she mysteriously ends up in Athia.
Despite her checkered background, Frey demonstrates resilience, wit and compassion as she adapts to her new surroundings. Gifted with magical abilities tied to her mystical bracelet known as the Cuff, Frey reluctantly takes on the mantle of heroine as she quests to find a way back home. Ella Balinska brings verve and heart to her voice performance as Frey.
The Cuff – Frey‘s Snarky Magical Mentor
The Cuff is an enchanted bracelet emblazoned on Frey‘s arm when she wakes up in Athia. More than a mere accessory, the Cuff is a sentient magical being who serves as Frey‘s guide, mentor and occasional verbal punching bag. Voiced marvelously by Jonathan Cake, the Cuff dispenses sarcastic quips and timely advice to Frey as she hones her newfound talents.
Their odd couple dynamic provides some of the game‘s most hilarious moments. The Cuff is also pivotal to unlocking the true nature of Frey‘s abilities, the secrets of Athia‘s past and insight into how Frey might return to her own world. This mysterious magical bracelet clearly knows more than he lets on…
Johedy – The Kindly Archivist
One of the first friendly faces Frey meets in Athia is Johedy, an archivist residing in the fortress city of Cipal. Johedy overflowed with enthusiasm upon learning Frey comes from another world, eagerly writing down details of her life in New York City. Well-versed in Athia‘s history and magical phenomena, Johedy provides crucial exposition to help Frey understand the land‘s current state of chaos and decay.
Despite most citizens of Athia being afflicted by the destructive force known as the Break, Johedy retains her faculties while radiating warmth and optimism. The uplifting presence of Keala Settle as Johedy offers Frey much-needed hope during her early hours navigating Cipal.
Auden – An Empathetic Young Woman
Auden is another Cipal resident who crosses paths with Frey over the course of her time in the fortress city. In contrast to Johedy‘s bookish personality, Auden is down-to-earth and action-oriented. She sees Frey struggling with the townspeople‘s fearful hostility towards this bizarre outlander and steps in to guide Frey to safety. In the process, a touching friendship blossoms between the pair.
While sad life events have made Auden distrustful of authority, she projects strength and grace as she lends Frey aid despite the risk to herself. Monica Barbaro brings endearing warmth and grounded humanity to her voice work as Auden. She stands as an impactful reminder amidst supernatural chaos that simple human decency and understanding still exist in Athia.
The Tantas – Athia‘s Fallen Matriarchs
Serving as the foremost antagonistic forces Frey must contend with are the Tantas – a triumvirate of powerful women who were once benevolent and just matriarchs before the onset of the Break. Now tragically corrupted by dark magical influence, each Tanta has become an insane tyrant ruthlessly subjugating their own dominion in Athia.
The uncompromisingly vicious Tanta Sila, demented arch-judge Tanta Prav who perverts justice and merciless hoarder of knowledge Tanta Olas make for compelling villainous foils to Frey‘s heroic journey. Frey must liberate each Tanta‘s territory from their iron grip and restore balance to the land. The Tantas push Frey to overcome her self-doubts and embrace her destiny for Athia‘s sake.
Tanta Sila – Ambition Perverted into Megalomania
As the foremost Tanta ruling Athia‘s frigid northern realm, Tanta Sila exhibits arrogance and ambition elevated to self-destructive extremes by her magical corruption. She exerts an iron will over her domain through cruelty and fear, destroying anyone who dares stand against her. In her mania for power, Sila has lost all empathy and reason.
Her intimidating character design reflects her ruthless nature – spikes protruding from her flesh, vampiric fangs and branched antlers evoke a human turned literal monster by unchecked pride and ego. Defeating Tanta Sila to heal both the land and Sila‘s tormented psyche proves Frey‘s most harrowing early ordeal.
Tanta Prav – Justice Twisted into Vengeance
Where Sila embodies the sin of pride, Tanta Prav represents justice horribly perverted into resentment and retribution. As Athia‘s chief judge and magistrate prior to the Break, Prav dedicated herself to fairness and upholding order. But in her corrupted state, the dark impulses she once reined in have utterly consumed her.
Believing all around her to be guilty, Prav hands down cruel and arbitrary sentences against innocent citizens. By liberating Prav‘s domain from her unhinged cruelty, Frey opens the door for true justice and morality to be restored. It‘s a victory as symbolic as it is tangible.
Tanta Olas – Wisdom Defiled by Obsession
The coastal realm overseen by Tanta Olas has devolved into one of the most unsettling domains in Athia under her harsh governance. Olas was admired for her vast wisdom but the Break‘s malevolent influence has mutated benign curiosity into unhealthy obsession. No longer satisfied with counseling Athia‘s people, Olas invades minds to rip knowledge and memories from terrified subjects.
Her unrelenting hunger to hoard understanding reflects a deeper insecurity that even her great intellect could not subdue. By setting Olas free from her crazed compulsion, Frey facilitates the rediscovery of wisdom guided by empathy rather than avaricious impulse.
Thematic Resonance Between Hero and Villains
An interesting narrative wrinkle in Forspoken is how Frey mirrors traits exhibited by each Tanta before their downfalls. Sila‘s ruthless ambition to prove herself greater than her perceived low status has parallels in Frey‘s criminal past born partly from similar feelings of inadequacy. Prav‘s urgency to mete out justice by any means matches Frey‘s willingness to skirt rules to survive.
Olas‘ disconnected isolation and trust issues echo Frey‘s lifelong struggles to find belonging. These reflections underscore how Frey, had her life taken darker turns, could have succumbed to some of the same flaws as the Tantas. By overcoming Athia‘s tyrannical rulers, Frey conquers tribulations metaphorically linked to her own inner demons.
The Depth Beneath Fairy Tale Fantasy
Forspoken‘s ensemble truly shines thanks to brilliant writing and voice acting making each personality distinct and multidimensional. The game deftly utilizes its fantastical premise to have larger-than-life characters engage metaphysical concepts and societal questions between flashy magical duels. Does morality stay fixed or alter to suit circumstance? Do past hardships excuse cruel behavior? Are self-knowledge and moderation vital to wisdom?
These philosophical explorations mesh seamlessly with Forspoken‘s coming-of-age tale molding Frey into a hero worthy of legend. The richness of its characterization serves up endless nuances sure to leave lingering positive impressions on players long after the credits roll. We can expect this instantly iconic cast to capture imaginations for years to come!
