Volkonir Moroti (Eccentriaverse)

Prince Volkonir Moroti of Cortascius / Vincent "Vinny" Amadeus Mason is a superhero in the Eccentriaverse of Dozerfleet Comics. A Cortascian by birth, he is slightly enhanced over the average human being by his bond to the EccentriaCore of his birth planet. In spite a since-broken spell having kept him preserved to being physiologically hardly a day over 30, he is technically over 400 years old when he begins protecting Bozeman, Montana from the Gwirdons.

He was originally portrayed by John DeBruyn in the promotional materials for the canceled 2008 film Volkonir, and his toy form was first depicted in the trailer for that film.

Immediately before
Tensions between Mighty Cortascia and Gwirdonia, the two nations competing for dominance on Cortascius, had already begun to heat up dramatically by the 1560s. Their proximity, along with the fact that the wicked-but-cautious King Thrutchigor of Gwirdonia had passed away, led to his son Gwirmalesh replacing him on the throne. Gwirmalesh was a very angry soul; but was also usually careful and calculating. This put the latest king to rise to the throne of Cortascia, King Morlikus, in a difficult position: to maintain peace between two spiritually opposite kingdoms and worldviews!

The nations' animosity toward one another grew even faster, after the abusive relationship between Hobanik Peddleton and his lover, Silnya Semaphry, resulted in the former raping the latter in 1586. Lady Silnya served in Morlikus' court faithfully, often acting as a squire for the knights and as an assistant to the Master Weaver Grinodos. She was hesitant to press charges against Hobanik - on behalf of their unborn child. On March 9th of 1587, Silnya gave birth to her son: Editrab Peddleton. She begged Hobanik to see a priest, and to get counseling - and to discuss marrying her lawfully. Instead, a disguised Hobanik conspired with a young commander Hiktomoph of the Gwirdon army to steal the Stone of Bovinil Peril. Not recognizing the attackers due to their elaborate disguises, Silnya and Grinodos fought valiantly in their efforts to prevent the stone from falling into evil hands.

However, Grinodos tried to create enough of a link to the Stone for himself that he'd always know its location via clairvoyance, by way of his link with the Stone to the EccentriaCore. His desperate efforts to save the Stone, however, led to it being lost somewhere on Earth. The theft party fled, vowing that they'd travel to Earth and find it one day. Grinodos vowed to do whatever was necessary to recover the Stone, lest it should come in contact with bovine life on Earth. However, Morlikus urged Grinodos and Silnya to remain on Cortascius a while longer. Partially, because he still needed them. And partially, because he felt that it would be best for Editrab.

As time went on, Silnya began to suspect that her lover was a traitor. However, she was unable to prove anything. Even so, she shared her concerns with Queen Wontisha. Wontisha made note of it; though Morlikus was hesitant to act on a mere hunch, when there was no concrete evidence. The king and queen, while discussing the attack on the Stone of Bovinil Peril, were convinced that the thieves were not in their right minds. After all: any bull, cow, buffalo, or similar animal that absorbed the Stone into itself would become a nigh-unstoppable force that would be very difficult for anyone short of God himself to control, let alone some random thieves! Or even Gwirmalesh! The two settled into bed, convinced that the thieves would make another mistake and be caught. On that night, they became physically romantic.

Early life
On February 23rd of 1589, the queen gave birth to her and Morlikus' only child: a son they named Volkonir. His birth time was equivalent to 5:45 AM of Mountain Standard Time on Earth. Given the complexities of maintaining Cortascia, Morlikus always sought to keep his own luxury to a minimum - and to ensure that young Volkonir wouldn't ever grow too spoiled. Around the time that the prince turned 11, he noticed his world becoming a darker place. The nearby Gwirdon kingdom was becoming more and more aggressive. The shaky truce between Morlikus and Gwirmalesh was crumbling. It was also in that year of 1600 that Volkonir's mother, Queen Wontisha, first began showing signs of physical illness.

The war begins
Gwirmalesh's plans to instigate the war to destroy the presumptuously-named Mighty Cortascia were moved up beginning in the spring of 1601, when Volkonir was only 12. The condemned Liquinwur serial killer Marzwhatti escaped from prison, where he was awaiting execution for his crimes. He led the knights of Cortascia's elite guard on a chase through the hills, eventually stranding them through his trickery. As they sought to escape their predicament, he attacked a garden located near the borders between Cortascia and Gwirdonia. Young Volkonir attempted to save Princess Gwantina, whom he had befriended in spite the mistrust between Morlikus and Gwirmalesh. However, Marzwhatti was able to toss him aside effortlessly. The monster murdered Gwantina right as Cortascians and Gwirdon Leaders arrived. Volkonir begged either side to do anything, but none could grab hold of the sneaky monster.

Gwirmalesh then tried to use Trenzekoit to stop Marzwhatti; only to see Marzwhatti trick a Cortascian lesser knight into having his armor's chestplate deflect Trenzekoit's attacks. With Trenzekoit's own weapons used against him, the kaijin began randomly sending out flash attacks on Gwirdon and Cortasican alike. The two armies flailed about in their temporary blindness, in an effort to either stop Marzwhatti or at least calm Trenzekoit down. This led to a Cortascian solider accidentally stabbing a Gwirdon leader, and to the Gwirdons quickly retaliating. The Cortascians attempted in vain to sue for peace, and the armies were soon fighting each other.

Volkonir and Gwantina fled toward Castle Gwirdonia, in the hopes that they could explain to Gwirmalesh that Trenzekoit and Marzwhatti were out of control - and were confusing the armies into fighting each other, and losing sight of their original goal of recapturing Marzwhatti. However, Hiktomoph ambushed Volkonir from behind, leading a confused Gwantina to beg for her father to stop bullying her friend. Gwirmalesh instead revealed his evil plans for Earth's future to Volkonir, while urging Gwantina to watch and learn. He promised to keep Volkonir alive, but as a permanent prisoner. Cortascia's time had come.

While Hiktomoph restrained Volkonir and Gwirmalesh continued to lecture, Marzwhatti was able to sneak into the castle. He killed Gwantina when she and Gwirmalesh's backs were turned, with both Hiktomoph and Volkonir unable to react in time. A shocked and devastated Gwirmalesh demanded Hikotomoph attack Marzwhatti, allowing Volkonir time to escape before being detected. Marzwhatti eventually retreated; leaving Gwirmalesh furious that he and Hiktomoph had both failed to see this attack coming. Gwirmalesh blamed Morlikus for Gwantina's death, knowing it was the failure of Morlikus' dungeon crew to properly secure Marzwhatti that led to the princess being murdered. At that moment, Gwirmalesh vowed to destroy Cortascia to avenge his daughter - no matter what it took!

Volkonir retreated back to Moroti Castle, warning first his mother and then later, his father, of what he'd witnessed inside Castle Gwirdonia. War was coming. Marzwhatti started it. Gwantina was dead. It was as much Gwirmalesh's fault for trusting Trenzekoit as it was anyone else's. But the Cortascians were being blamed. In his wrath and hatred, Gwirmalesh nearly forgot about Marzwhatti. Moving up his plans to attack and destroy Morlikus' legacy was what most mattered. Volkonir felt sorry for Gwantina's passing; but couldn't forget the sight of Gwirmalesh and Hiktomoph's true evil shining through. Their betrayal made the prince bitter.

Meanwhile, Gwirmalesh advanced his secret plans to house his Fearollphéist (kaijin) in suspended animation - along with a growing number of his troops, which he deemed fit to have hibernate until "the time was right" to conquer Earth. Trenzekoit was the first of these ordered to have the suspension tried on him, as punishment for his role in moving up the timeline of war with Cortascia.

Grinodos feared that it wouldn't be long before more monsters like Trenzekoit would become staples in Gwirmalesh's assault on Cortascia. Because of this, he decided to show Morlikus his secret weapon: a framework of object storage and summoning within the Eccentriacore's BEP essence that he was able to craft via his bond with the Eccentriacore: the Tapestry. The time would soon come to make use of it, in order to craft knights that could go above and beyond what the normal guardians of the kingdom could do. Only the most worthy should become the Elite Knights of Cortascius. But they'd need their armors, their connections, and any accessories associated with this to be "woven" into this "Tapestry." Thus, "Weavers" would be necessary. Grinodos vowed to teach Weaving to as many students as he could, should something happen to him. Morlikus himself soon became Grinodo's top student; with Volkonir learning only a little bit about Weaving himself. Wontisha also tried to learn, in case anything happened to her husband.

Rise of the Argon Vole
It took only a few months before Jobaras was revealed. Marzwhatti was still not seen anywhere. But as various Gwirdon Treaders started being loaded into their suspension pods, Marzwhatti and his sister Ezhnelli were able to sabotage the pods that they were set inside of - to secretly detonate and free them a few years ahead of Gwirmalesh's timetable. They took the place of two Treaders, going unnoticed as they entered their hibernation pods.

Meanwhile, Hiktomoph and several Treaders led an assault on the cathedral where Grinodos was housing the Stone of Bovinil Peril - hoping to reverse-engineer it to create their own version of Perco-Wand to aid Gwirmalesh in the future with multiversal conquest! Grinodos put up a fight; but he wasn't saved until Morlikus finally revealed himself to be the Argon Vole Cortascian Knight. In spite fighting valiantly, Morlikus was unable - even with his newfound powers - to protect Grinodo's chambers entirely. Secret vortex portals started being generated between Earth and Cortascius at numerous points - including one located by the Pool of Healing, which could undo Gwirmalesh's evil magic to all who entered its waters. Worse: the Stone of Bovinil Peril fell through one of these portals! The portal was several feet high in the air, however, making it unclear where the stone landed.

Hiktomoph, upon realizing his failure, retreated. However, Morlikus and Volkonir were devastated to learn that the stone must never come in contact with any bovine-like creature. Now that it was missing somewhere on Earth, the kingdom of Cortascia no longer had control over this. Morlikus was able to fight back a later attack by Jobaras on the kingdom, but not kill the monster. Studying to become a Weaver at his age had cost Morlikus time to physically train. He needed stronger knights - younger ones - to do most of the battlefield work. He would remain the Argon Vole until he was convinced a worthy successor could be found. Volkonir asked if he could be the next Argon Vole Knight; but Morlikus was convinced that the Argon Vole was not a good fit for the prince. Instead, when he was convinced that Volkonir was ready for it, he'd make Volkonir a knight that could do many things that the Argon Vole couldn't. The Argon Vole was a prototype. Better Elite Knights needed to exist in its place.

The early Knights of Cortascius
As Morlikus became increasingly distracted by the rigors of running his kingdom at war, and by trying to find the source of Wontisha's failing health, he desperately sought out who the next Elite Knight should be. His answer came in early 1602, when woodsman and physician Horzhed Crimazol proved his worth as a warrior, doctor, and more. Saving the king's life after an ambush involving Scairpnathair, Morlikus and Volkonir brought Horzhed before Grinodos to have him become the Red Serpent Knight. However, it soon became obvious that the part-time Argon Vole and part time Red Serpent weren't enough. Full time knights were needed to assist.

Editrab's father finally betrayed his son to Gwirmalesh; and the boy was tortured and groomed until he became Tarantrum. Silnya was unable to save her son from this; but she was able to save Horzhed from an ambush. Volkonir began to confide in Silnya, as Wontisha was often too sick to spend time with her son. With Morlikus' blessing, Volkonir joined Silnya and Horzhed on a quest to meet up with the scout Reelo Rumastik, to learn what his special request was regarding a confrontation with Hiktomoph in the Cave of the Amethyst Boar. Reelo was unclear, but promised Horzhed that he knew what had become of Horzhed's missing family of years earlier.

The team found themselves ambushed by some Gwirdon Treaders, but quickly fought them off. Volkonir's impressive swordplay - and ability to use a sword to deflect the kaijin Sneachtine's fire and ice attacks onto Treaders - convinced Horzhed that the boy should be trained to become an Elite Knight by Grinodos. Reelo was finally able to join the fight, and met up with the others to send the remaining Treaders into retreat. Horzhed was able to defeat Sneachtine, mostly due to his friends risking their lives to distract the monster long enough for him to land a fatal blow. A final joiner in the battle that Horzhed didn't expect was none other than his long-missing sister: Vantina. However, she wasn't the same.

After disaster struck in the past and claimed the lives of Horzhed's parents, he lost track of his sister. Vantina was recovered by the Budantir family, and adopted by them. However, they were captured by Gwirdon forces. They were tortured, and were experimented on. But due to a stroke of bad luck, most of the qualities of creating the Raccglow twins became exclusive to her adoptive brother: Rakstafril. As "Raccglow," her new brother embraced his transformation, and became a loyal puppet to Gwirmalesh. Vantina escaped before further tests could be done to her, and she discovered that she was now a vampire. She was hesitant to return directly to service in the court of Morlikus, as she was uncertain a vampire would be accepted in their ranks. Instead, Vantina found shelter with Reelo. It wasn't long before Reelo asked for her hand in marriage, and the two eloped.

Horzhed was confused that one of his greatest allies had secretly married his sister; but welcomed Reelo to his family all the same. However, the need for more Elite Knights grew desperate. Volkonir suggested that his friends meet before Morlikus and Grinodos, to discuss which ones could become which new Knight to assist Horzhed.

On February 9th of 1603, Morlikus and Grinodos gathered around with the declared Elite Knights of Cortascius, in order to bestow titles. Reelo was quickly made the the Silver Ferret Knight. However, Grinodos warned that he would need time to test for compatibility with Vantina's new physiology. An attack commenced, and this led to Horzhed and Reelo being called out to service. Morlikus thought it best to keep the Tapestry-powered knighthood clan in the family; and suggested that the new Crystal Swan powers be given to Vantina. This was in spite of Grinodos' suggestion that Silnya should become the Crystal Swan Knight. However, the powers quickly began rejecting Vantina. Grinodos suggested the Amethyst Boar Knight as a backup; but would need time they didn't have to find a workaround to make it compatible for vampire use.

Vantina relinquished her claim to the Crystal Swan, urging Morlikus that it would be okay for her to wait longer. Morlikus noticed Silnya and Volkonir's courage, helping out Reelo and Horzhed with the onslaught in spite no powers. Wontisha argued with Morlikus that as close as Silnya has been with the others, she has almost as much right to claim family ties as did Vantina. Morlikus relented, allowing Silnya to become the Crystal Swan Knight.

Prince and squire
The Knights of Cortascius quickly became heroes in Cortascia; but time was running out. Wontisha's health was failing, and Grinodos' need to find a workaround for the Amethyst Boar Knight was distracted by his need to track down the Stone of Bovinil Peril. On January 16th of 1604, Queen Wontisha died in the king's arms. Gwirmalesh's kaijin and kaiju grew in threat level, requiring regular knights and the elite team to work overtime to hold back Gwirmalesh's assaults. Meanwhile, managing the kingdom's economy and learning weaving from Grinodos took a lot of Morlikus' time. The frustrated king suggested that the best place for Volkonir to be under the circumstances, was in hiding. On March 23rd of 1604, Morlikus urged the 15-year-old Volkonir to go incognito - as Silnya's squire.

Volkonir agreed to this arrangement, saying that Silnya was becoming a surrogate mother to him already. On top of this, he wanted to assist Silnya in recovering her lost son Editrab. Meanwhile, Hobanik used the fact that Silnya was operating as a foster mother to Volkonir as grounds to claim to Editrab that he'd been "replaced" in his mother's life. This filled Editrab with jealousy, making him play further into Gwirmalesh's hands.

Fall of the early Knights
The Knights of Cortascius began to experience several victories; but Gwirmalesh had plenty of reserve resources. The arrival of Diabloq posed a special threat to the Knights, being able to hold his own against the Tapestry in spite not having a direct link to it. Diabloq quickly rose in ranks among the various kaijin in Gwirmalesh's army; as he was very successful at staging multi-front assaults that would keep the Knights from standing united in one place. In early April of 1606, Morlikus realized that the time was wright for Volkonir to become a knight officially. Silnya needed an equal ally to work alongside; not a squire to defend. With Grinodos' help, Morlikus revealed the Golden Lion Knight powers. Volkonir hesitated; but embraced the powers once he had bonded with the sword that came with these powers: Selshon.

As Morlikus feared, however, the Golden Lion Knight was too little, too late. Later that same month, Horzhed fell in battle to Diabloq, on April 28th of 1606. Diabloq took Horzhed's Red Serpent mogriffer for himself, then went into a suspended animation pod. The dragon Strumpule began rampaging Cortascia in Diabloq's place. On July 8th of 1607, Reelo Rumastik was slain by Strumpule. Silnya and Volkonir arrived to assist Vantina, who risked her life wielding the Silver Ferret powers to keep them away from Strumpule. The dragon retreated after suffering several blows. However, the Knights knew he'd be back.

The rise of Strumpule convinced Morlikus that he also needed to set the sights of Cortascians on Earth; to have a backup plan in the wake that Cortascia and Castle Moroti should fail. The Silver Ferret Mogriffer was put inside a wall in the castle, so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands the way the Red Serpent had. Cortascian plants were assigned to Ireland, England, and a few other countries, in order to ensure that relics and other items of the kingdom could be collected to rebuild it with. Volkonir and Silnya engaged in a daring mission to recover one of Gwirmalesh's pods, so it could be reverse-engineered. Grinodos was put in one of the reverse-engineered pods, and sent to Earth. Should the Golden Lion be detected on Earth, or the Stone of Bovinil Peril, Grinodos would be revived.

With the Red Serpent and Silver Ferret Knights gone, and the Amethyst Boar Knight experiment a failure, Morlikus realized he was quickly running out of options. A messenger from Gwirdonia warned the Cortascians that Gwirmalesh wanted them to live to see his pending conquest of Earth. As such, he intended to use his new wand, Swivertik, to transform all of them into enchanted inanimate objects. Only the Pool of Healing would be able to undo the spells cast on them. However...not all of them would be able to find the Pool of Healing. Volkonir was ready to strike the messenger down; but Morlikus urged him not to. Volkonir and Silnya were allowed to live in the castle again; but were put in charge of wall duty. They were secondarily to defend the Candle of Hope - the symbol of Cortascian supremacy in the land. Should the candle be extinguished, it would indicate that Cortascia had truly fallen.

Defeat on Cortascius
A pod development arms race began between the kingdoms, as Gwirmalesh initiated the Great Inertia that would protect the castles - but keep most things in their vicinities within in a stasis. This spell was to ensure that when the Revival was cast to undo the Inertia, the kingdoms would resume just as they had been left - and not overrun with weathering and weeds. Morlikus knew that this could work both ways: if by some chance Cortascia won the war on Earth, then Cortascians could initiate the Revival. But then, they'd have to race to conquer and hold Castle Gwirdonia and Castle Moroti, before the Gwirdons retook their kingdom. In the mean time, both sides needed to preserve their teleportation tech inventions, their knowledge of the EccentriaCore, their knowledge of the Tapestry, their troops, elements of their culture, etc.

Morlikus in particular feared that moving the battlefront to Earth was the only way to win the war. He feared it was only a matter of time before the current state of Cortascia was overrun. Gwirmalesh, still a young king, was still way too powerful in his bond to the raw EccentriaCore - and way too skilled in his EccentriaMagic! The siege on Castle Moroti finally occurred on May 15th of 1608 - a day ahead of when Morlikus suspected it would! The Gwirdons that weren't already on Earth held nothing back in their assault on the castle. Gwirmalesh himself, wielding a Swivertik enhanced by EccentriaCore-bonded gems acquired from the Cave of the Amethyst Boar, set quickly to work with transforming Morlikus' subjects into enchanted objects - some perfectly preserved by the Great Inertia, and some imperfectly. The imperfect ones needed to fear being freed from the spell; for being set free would cause them to rapidly age according to how long they had been in their object forms!

Volkonir and Silnya made a heroic last stand to defend the castle; but they were soon overrun. Strumpule got a lucky strike, hitting Silnya hard enough to send her Crystal Swan armor retreating back into the Tapestry. Gwirmalesh wasted no time turning her into a statue with the assistance of Swivertik; and then banished the Statue of Semaphry into a pit / cavern not far from Yellowstone. Volkonir continued fighting alone, wounding Strumpule into retreat. However, he was too late to stop Hiktomoph and Mogabir from overpowering Morlikus. With Swivertik waving, Gwirmalesh transformed Morlikus into an enchanted wooden medallion - a necklace decoration known as the "Trinket of Morlikus" - to be worn by the evil Gwirdon king as a living trophy.

Volkonir may have beaten Strumpule back; but not without doing so at the expense of exhausting himself and his Golden Lion powers. As he demogrified, he was ambushed from behind. Swivertik transformed him into an enchanted plush toy, one resembling a lion. Gwirmalesh banished Volkonir to Ireland. The Gwirdon king taunted Volkonir that in spite numerous vortices existing on Earth, Volkonir would never be able to find the one that would send him to the Pool of Healing. The Inertia was cast. Cortascius had fallen. Gwirmalesh then readied his troops to prepare for transfer to the lair beneath the mountain they had found on Earth. A few Leaders and Treaders would be allowed out of their pods every so many years, to check on human civilization and technological advancement. When the time was right, the Gwirdons were to arise from their pods - and were to begin their conquest of Earth!

Journeys across the Earth
Volkonir became determined to right the wrongs that had been done. However, his desire to undo his own failure became a driving obsession. He knew the Gwirdon's plans involved waiting for the "right moment" in the evolution of Earth technology. Therefore, he knew that his own strategies would need to be similarly adapted. He discovered that very few on Earth knew much about Cortascian life - and even fewer were interested in knowing! The EccentriaCore's power reached to Earth; but few bothered with it. Earth was mostly ignorant of it. Volkonir all the same tried to learn as much as he could about his new world. At the same time, he attempted to stay out of sight to avoid anyone too dangerous. This led to him developing a very scrambled perception of what societal norms were, as his predicament interfered with healthy mental and emotional development.

He knew his task to restore the Mighty Kingdom would be several-fold: First, he needed to figure out where the vortex to the Pool of Healing was. Next, he needed to find a way inside of it. If need be, he needed to be tossed into it by an Earth human that he could trust. After this, he knew he'd need to figure out where the Gwirdons were hiding, somehow. He had to intercept them while most of them were still asleep in their suspended animation pods, and kill them before they had a chance to wake up! Once successful in that goal, he knew he'd need to locate Gwirmalesh's pod, and reclaim the Trinket of Morlikus - even at the expense of risking another battle against a Swivertik-wielding Gwirdon king! Restoring Morlikus and ending the Inertia were only the beginning. He would then need to recover Silnya - and pray that she had a perfect encasement. If not, she'd rapidly age and die, putting the Crystal Swan mogriffer in jeopardy! Volkonir would then need to find a new team of Elite Knights: first to save the Earth, and then, to restore the Cortascian throne!

His task of staying out of sight of untrustworthy humans, however, led to him often spending years at a time hibernating in attics. However, not interacting with the world only furthered his confusion on learning social norms, as he gained a sort of "Rip Van Winkle" complex every time he did so. Volkonir was watchful though, and optimistic that technology would catch up to Gwirmalesh's goals before too terribly long. Even so, Volkonir's memories became jostled regarding everything happening in his toy form. Only his memories of Cortascius remained crystal clear. Before the year 2000, however, Volkonir would only feel confident enough to ask 38 different individuals for help in locating the vortex to the Pool of Healing. Only about six of them proved even slightly helpful. Even so, he knew that he needed to persist. Failure could lead to Gwirmalesh conquering his universe - and putting the greater multiverse at stake!

Marzwhatti resurfaces
One of the storage rooms beneath what became known as Chestnut Mountain ruptured, with several hibernating Treaders and at least two kaijin being killed in the blast. Marzwhatti and Ezhnelli escaped their pods in July of 1902, damaging equipment that would be needed to preserve various Gwirdon Leadrers -including Gwirmalesh himself - in their prime. The Lirquinwur siblings made haste to being their campaigns of spreading chaos anew. Ezhnelli chose to target the eastern hemisphere for her brand of mayhem, and allowed her brother Marzwhatti terrorize the west - each developing their own games for this mayhem. They would meet once a year to review their tactics, and come up with new schemes. Given that they were able to slow their own aging down dramatically by the EccentriaCore alone, the two believed they could live another 300 years. That would equal 300 years of mayhem they could inflict, in their own signature ways!

Gwirdon leaders began striking a deal with anyone corrupt in US government that they could, in order to embed their agenda into the government. But their primary selling point was in convincing their contacts that they were justified - by virtue of hunting down the Lirquinwurs! Even so, the hunt for these mischievous sibling monsters would have to be a secret war. The plans - and the public which was to be ruled over - would only be jeopardized by letting Marzwhatti or Ezhnelli's existence become common knowledge. Even so, this didn't stop Volkonir from noticing - and eavesdropping on - a meeting in 1912 that revealed the FBI was made aware of the Lirquinwurs' existence. This news disturbed Volkonir greatly. If the Lirquinwurs were loose on Earth, it might force Gwirmalesh's hand prematurely! And that would spell disaster for Volkonir's own plans to rescue Morlikus and restore Cortascius! Volkonir briefly set aside his quest for finding the vortex to the Pool of Healing, so he could instead seek out the Pod of Grinodos. A master Weaver would be needed, if Volkonir were to have the resources to stop Marzwhatti and Ezhnelli before they became the priority of Earth governments!

The Stone of Bovinil Peril located
See also: The Bison

Alas, more bad news struck. In late July of 2002, some archeologists investigating an area unwittingly unearthed the Stone of Bovinil Peril. Their handling of it sent out a shockwave, which awakened Grinodos. But before Grinodos could retrieve it, the stone was purchased by HanomCorp in Montana. The delivery truck was sabotaged by road pirates, however, and the stone was once again lost - in the fields of Nebraska. The captain of that gang, Martha Imbellia, had no idea what the cargo aboard was. The stone fell along the roadside, where it attracted the attention of a bison. Lured in, said bison ate the stone- and was transformed into an ijoju. The transformation occurred on the evening of August 8th of 2002. Amidst his quest to find a way to stop the Bison from rampaging humanity, Grinodos lost sight of his other mission: to relocate the descendants of the missing Cortascians. As such, Volkonir found that he couldn't rely on Grinodos for help in finding the vortex to the Pool of Healing.

Learning of the murder of Kelina Averes
See also: The Blue Face Film Strips

As Volkonir learned more about the "dark web," he was able to find Cortascian conspiracy theory websites that were hidden from mainstream view. Confused as to why the subject of Cortascius was deemed a forbidden topic for the mainstream web at the time, he used whatever resources he had to learn what Marzwhatti and others were up to - and to keep track of Gwirdon activity. In early April, however, he learned about Marzwhatti raiding a house near Grand Ledge, MI. The evil Lirquinwur had been playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a very confused young photographer named Kelina Averes. Finally getting bored of playing games with her, Marzwhatti ambushed and murdered Kelina - and left her little sister Katie severely traumatized, but still alive. Volkonir declared that killing Marzwhatti would have to be added to his list of goals for restoring Cortascius. No one was safe, so long as the Lirquinwur siblings still breathed!

The Gwirdons return
Activities surrounding Marzwhatti and the Bison convinced Mogabir, the prized underling of Gwirmalesh and the likely successor to the throne, that the time had come to awaken Gwirmalesh. Much to his horror, however, Mogabir discovered that the Lirquinwurs had compromised the pods that were being used to store Gwirmalesh and several Treaders. The Gwirdon king discovered that he had aged approximately 30 years' worth of physiology in the span of not quite 400 years - making him an old man that could no longer operate in his prime. After feasting to make up for the fact that he was ravenously hungry due to the tampering he'd endured, Gwirmalesh set to work retrieving as much of his army as he could. The lair beneath Chestnut Mountain was re-worked for Gwirdon operations. While not as splendorous as what Castle Gwirdonia had been, Gwirmalesh felt that this new lair was what he and the Gwirdons deserved for underestimating the Lirquinwur siblings.

The Gwirdon king's scouts came back with news about their political connections. But there was bad news for them: rumors on the dark web indicated that Volkonir was still around - and had discovered the location to the Vortex to the Pool of Healing! Hiktomoph was assigned the role of locating Volkonir; to ensure that the prince's restoration didn't happen!

Adventures in Big Rapids
By February 7th of 2008, Volkonir was in Big Rapids. He'd discovered where the vortex was; but was having trouble reaching it. The vortex was located next to a pipe on the ceiling near the entryway floor of the Granger Building. He tried to find lodging by stowing away in the lobby of a hair salon in town on February 12th, only to be mistreated by the staff. He also overheard them being cruel to certain patrons. Cleaning himself up, he was able to stash himself on a shelf near the fireplace in the lobby of the Biggby store in town on February 15th. He hoped to be able to make another attempt to find someone willing to throw him at the pipe; but he was running low on options.

The wrong truck
When attempting to get close to the Granger Building, Volkonir found that his ride suddenly took a quick detour - to Big Lots. He was knocked out of the back of the truck he was in, and then forgot which truck it was. It was parked next to another, very similar truck. However, after hiding in the trunk for a while, Volkonir realized that the ride was taking too long. To his dismay, he had picked the wrong truck! He found himself in downtown Lansing - a 2-hour drive from his destination! There was only one solution: find someone either headed toward Big Rapids, or convince someone to take him there!

Attempt #43
See also: Volkonir Journals: Attempt #43

Volkonir wandered around Lansing for a bit, and was able to find another way to connect to the dark web. On March 20th of 2008, he learned that the Gwirdons were awake - and were now on to him. He also discovered that his best bet for accomplishing his goals was to make his way to Grand Ledge. If he could convince Katie Averes to help him, he could then follow up on the links to a Dereck Tumbline that he'd heard about living on campus. Dereck could get Volkonir connected to a Dr. Hanom, in charge of HanomCorp near Bozeman, MT. After HanomCorp had seen several creatures strongly resembling Gwirdon Treaders trespassing on its grounds, Hanom's interest in Cortascian history had skyrocketed.

It all came down to getting Katie's help to return to Big Rapids. However, when Volkonir made his move on April 12th of 2008, Katie refused to help him. Worse: she threw him out the window to show her contempt for the idea! Volkonir realized quickly that part of this was due to the fact that Katie had been traumatized by Marzwhatti. Volkonir mentioning Marzwhatti caused Katie to relive the night of Kelina's murder in her mind, leading to a resentment for all Cortascians.

On April 13th, he was able to catch a lucky break. Several vehicles in traffic along I-96 allowed him to jump from one to another, until he finally caught one that was headed north on Highway 131. He was then able to teleport out of one car by Exit 139, and then teleport his way the rest of the way back into town.

Breaking the spell
See also: Volkonir (2008 film), Volkonir 2008

On April 14th, Volkonir was able to access the FLITE Library lab. By using the Macs in the back, he avoided detection. His return to the dark web led to him reaching out to Dereck. It didn't take long before Dereck figured out that this entity on the other end was, in fact, Prince Volkonir. The two met up the following morning, while Volkonir was hiding near a bug display in the taxidermy museum. Dereck set to work getting HanomCorp officials in touch with Volkonir, so that Hanom could get some resources soon to Big Rapids and help Volkonir out. Dereck has one wish from Volkonir though: to spy on classmate Cassie Helm and learn her true feelings about him. The prince learns that Cassie does in fact have a crush, but that she's waiting for Dereck to make a move. Volkonir returns and informs Dereck of this. Dereck suggests, along with Hanom, that Volkonir should adopt an alias once he's human again: "Vincent Amadeus Mason" - "Vinny" for short. The world can't know that he's Volkonir just yet. Volkonir agrees to that alias - contingent upon becoming his old Cortascian self again.

On April 16th, however, Dereck's efforts to contact HanomCorp get intercepted. He soon discovers that there's a message to his e-mail from a "Hiktomoph" that states that he knows Dereck is housing Volkonir. The two decide that their best bet is to convince Cassie to help Volkonir, so as to keep Dereck and Hanom out of harm's way. They know that Hiktomoph now knows that Dereck and Volkonir are working together - if not also Hanom. However, Cassie isn't on Hiktomoph's radar yet.

On April 17th, Dereck leaves town for the day, on advice from Hanom. Volkonir is left to spy on Cassie - and to eventually recruit her to the cause. On the afternoon of April 18th, Volkonir catches up to Cassie in the alleyway by Big Rapids Cinema. Cassie is upset that her friends ditched her to go on a drinking party binge near Cadillac, and she had to see the movie by herself. She is startled at first by the plush toy talking to her, assuming it's a disguised government spy drone. However, as she picks up the toy and puts it in her backpack, she's confronted by Hiktomoph and several Treaders atop the roof of the hair salon across the street. She runs down the alleyway, while a Treader accidentally sets off a rocket launcher in the direction of the parking lot on the opposite side of Big Rapids Cinema. An angry Hiktomoph disappears with the rocket launcher, ordering the two clumsy Treaders next to him to give chase - and return Cassie and Volkonir to him when they're done.

Police show up to investigate the explosion outside the theater; but Cassie is already long gone. The Treaders give pursuit of her throughout town, as Volkonir continually insists she throw him at the vortex - which will become visible when he's near it. Cassie is finally able to gain enough headway on the Treaders to make a run for the Granger building. She launches Volkonir at the vortex, near the section of pipe that he indicated to her. As Volkonir sends himself into the Pool of Healing to undo Swivertik's spell, however, the Treaders catch up to an exhausted Cassie. Before Hiktomoph can arrive, a restored Volkonir returns through the vortex. He stuns the Treaders, giving himself and Cassie a chance to exit the building. Once they're outside, the Treaders put up their best effort to battle Volkonir and Cassie; but Volkonir summons his Golden Lion Knight armor. He quickly beats the Treaders into submission, then using Selshon to cripple them, freeze them, and finally blast them to bits. Hiktomoph realizes that the Golden Lion Knight has been successfully revived, and retreats with the remainder of his scouting party back to Chestnut Mountain. Volkonir and Cassie flee the area for the Rankin Center as best they can, in order to avoid suspicion when police arrive to investigate the disturbance reported near the Granger Building.

With the coast clear, Volkonir walks back to Cassie's dorm with her. He explains in more detail who he is, and what she's done. He also informs her that Dereck would be honored to date her, but hasn't yet struck up the nerve to pay her a visit. She states that a visit from him would be welcome. Volkonir promises to let him know, saying that Dereck will be Cassie's reward for helping him.

On April 19th of 2008, Dereck struck up the courage to visit Cassie outside her door. The two of them had a quick date in town, and then set to work to take Vinny to a safehouse in the nearby small town of Paris, run by Dereck's uncle. Brent Tumbline begins teaching Vinny how to ride a motorcycle, while Hanom helps with creating a fake identity for Volkonir's new alias, to give him further appearance of legitimacy.

First journey to Texas
Brent and Vinny continue to train, and Vinny gets very acclimated to the idea of driving. Hanom responds that once Vinny makes it to Montana, he'll work on learning Weaving from Vinny. The goal is to use HanomCorp R&D's basement to develop a device that will integrate HanomCorp tech with the Tapestry, allowing Hanom to upgrade Vinny's Golden Lion protocols as new tools are made available. However, things take a turn for the worse on late April 21st of 2008, when a not-quite 16-year-old Kayla Tarington - whose mother was partially of Cortascian descent - goes missing. The rumors are that she's been abducted by Gwirdons. The following morning, April 22nd, Kayla's situation was made aware of to Hanom's radar. Hanom soon discovers that someone in a high position of power in the government was blocking Kayla's situation from going through to the standard amber alert system. Spies on the ground were tracking Gwirdon activity, and Volkonir was alerted. On April 23rd, Brent lent a motorcycle to Vinny, along with some cash for food and gas. Vinny also purchased a Biggby mug, and a duffel bag from Wal-Mart. In the early morning of April 24th, Vinny left Big Rapids. His destination: wherever Hanom's team claimed to have last seen Gwirdon activity in Texas! His first stop for the night was in Bloomington, Illinois.

Cyber warrior
On the 27th, Volkonir found himself along the Purple Heart Trail section of I-35, just to the southwest of Ottawa, Kansas. A storm kicked up, and the Percolation Wave hit him. He soon passed out after stopping his motorcycle by the roadside. His original self awoke in that same area; feeling slightly dazed. He continued driving. Meanwhile, the Wave generated a clone of him - that was then stranded in a pocket dimension of the Dromedeverse, in a cyberpunk setting. This version would have to make new allies for his setting, in the hopes of toppling a ruthless regime. The classic Golden Lion Knight look wouldn't get him very far, so his new allies allowed him to make upgrades to a cyber warrior.

Meeting Kayla
Vinny finally became aware of the missing girls' location on April 28th of 2008. Kayla and her friends tried to escape from their Gwirdon captors on their own, wondering why it was taking so long before the Gwirdons would do anything with them. As the situation became chaotic, Vinny finally arrived. Kayla and Vinny first lay eyes on each other; and are instantly enamored. However, they don't speak, and are soon concerned again with the tasks at hand for each. Vinny later watches Kayla from a distance, as she's reunited with her mom. Her courage inspires him, and he asks Hanom if there's anything that can be done for the Tarington family. Hanom notes this, and claims that he'll help them as soon as he can do so without leaving a trail. Vinny drops a care package off at Karlita's home, which includes a brochure for Kayla to get a job when she's old enough. However, Hanom informs Vinny that he's needed in Montana as soon as possible. Hanom believes that Gwirmalesh's new base is somewhere near Bozeman.

While Vinny is arriving in Bozeman, things take a turn for the worse in Kayla's life. On May 3rd of 2008, Kayla is threatened by a judge over her having missed a week of school, given the truancy laws at the time. Kayla argues that she was kidnapped, but the judge doesn't care. Vinny, unaware that Kayla is under legal duress, arrives at HanomCorp R&D on May 5th of 2008, to start his new life.

On May 7th, however, Kayla's bus was attacked by Gwirdon Treaders. Kayla fled, to draw the Gwirdons away from her classmates. As they gave pursuit throughout town, Kayla got creative about how to take them down. Police eventually caught her fighting said Gwirdons. She was arrested, and the Gwirdons that didn't flee were put down on the scene. On May 8th, the judge sentenced Kayla to ten days at Tom Green County Jail. She held on to Vinny's confession of being impressed with her work - and to Hanom's future job offer. She realized that the Gwirdons had become a huge problem in Montana, and that she couldn't always expect Volkonir to come to her rescue. On May 9th, Kayla was moved to the protective custody section, because she wouldn't keep quiet about the Gwirdons. Upon her release from jail, she discussed Volkonir's return with her mother. Karlita was overjoyed by the news; but warned Kayla that the prince would soon be made to move on to more important things than the Tarington family's troubles.

Vinny's apartment
Meanwhile, in Bozeman, Hanom proposed on June 8th that Vinny should build more of a cover for himself to blend in. Vinny should consider enrolling in classes at Montana State University. Hanom also noted that Vinny's work as an "elite" security guard for R&D and being a part time student at Montana State weren't enough. Vinny needed a place other than the R&D basement to reside. On August 4th of 2008, Hanom was able to secure Vinny an apartment in one of the buildings of the Kagy Village Apartments complex. Vinny's work, plus Hanom's kindness, would allow for the rent to be paid. Hanom also rented out a room for Vanessa, and one for two of his scientists.

Enrolling at Montana State University
Vinny finally officially enrolled at Montana State on August 22nd of 2013, after five years of working for Hanom and monitoring Gwirmalesh and Hiktomoph's activities around town. He chose the political science degree, with a goal to minor in language studies, as he felt these were the most relevant fields to his potential future as the next king of Cortascia. Hanom realized that Vinny must be a 3/4-time student rather than a full-time student, as this would allow him time to work shifts, defend Bozeman as the Golden Lion Knight, and still sleep.

In spite running into Kayla again at a job fair, Hanom's boot was attacked by the Gwirdons. Vinny was able to save the convention center; but an emergency prevented them from locating her. Impressed by interviewing her on the spot, Hanom vowed to find a way to contact her again. Vinny also gained an increased interest in finding her. However, they were unable to get a hold of her. And defending Bozeman was a priority. Several activities in the smuggling rings that Kayla had found work with called her in, causing her to have to bide her time until she got another chance to seek out Hanom. The years flew by. On February 23rd of 2016, Vinny turned 427 years old at 5:45 AM MST.

Saving Kayla
As Hanom and Vinny began tracking down more and more Cortascius cause supporters around the globe, they stumbled upon some interesting facts regarding three particular sympathizers that were either missing or in jeopardy. The first notable instance was of one Lenny Drae. He had suddenly vanished, leading Hanom to fear that he had been killed by the Gwirdons. Carlos Modi, a Cortascian relic hunter / archeologist, was in need of a place to go. He had an especially troubling predicament: his family was involved with a dangerous drug cartel in Mexico. He wanted to avoid having to get into the family business at any cost; but had questionable legal status as a US citizen. His mother was Mexican-American, but his father was pure Mexican. Hanom felt he could hire Carlos to be Vinny's partner on the elite security team, allowing Carlos a chance to escape his family's dark legacy.

Before the two could go to rescue Carlos, however, a more immediately pressing matter occurred in May of 2016: the prison where Kayla had been railroaded into was now compromised! Vinny had to make another trip to Texas, this time to ensure that Kayla could be released without too much trouble. Hiktomoph was revealed to have been impersonating the warden, and the prisoners had to team up with Kayla and Volkonir to fight off the Gwirdon threat until riot squads could show up to restore order. Even then, Trenzekoit shows up to cause trouble. Volkonir has to dispose of the kaijin while Hanom negotiates further for Kayla's freedom amidst the chaos. It's only a few days after securing Kayla's release in which Hanom decides that he wants to eventually give Kayla the apartment next to Vinny's - just as soon as its current tenants are ready to move out. In short order, Kayla is added to the team. However, Vinny reminds Hanom that they have to be careful about who sees Kayla with what equipment. After all: she's a recently-released ex-con with a felony on her record.

Tracking down lost Cortascians and relics
After Carlos is rescued, May through August of 2016 become a time for the trio to learn how to work as a team. Vinny and Kayla develop a budding mutual romantic interest in each other, but Kayla often finds that Vinny has no clue how to interpret most suggestive cues from her. They find themselves routinely solving mysteries - most of them revolving around whatever monster-of-the-week Gwirmalesh opts to send out. In August of 2016, Kayla goes into mechanical engineering, given her past experience with auto parts smuggling and with race cars. Carlos chooses a history program with a museum studies minor, to validate his love of archeology. Vinny continues his education, and the three of them get comfortable with their work-school-save-the-world routine. As the two scientists sharing an apartment are ready to get homes, and one is getting married, Hanom rents out the room so that Kayla can live there. He puts her name on the lease, so she can make partial rent payments. Carlos gets Vanessa's old apartment, as Vanessa rents a small home in town.

Vinny has to protect Bozeman as the Golden Lion Knight, while also tracking down lost Cortascians and missing relics of his past. Kayla and Carlos assist in this goal, though they realize that their roles will be restricted until the missing Knight mogriffers can be relocated. In spite knowing where the Vortex to the Pool of Healing is, the team decides that it would be unwise to visit Big Rapids routinely. So long as other portals to Cortascius exist, they should pursue those instead. Even then, they reason that they should make trips to Cortascius sparing. They need Gwirmalesh defeated, preferably with Morlikus restored, before they can properly restore the kingdom of Cortascia.

Sorisenshi buys HanomCorp
September of 2016 through April of 2017: puts Team Volkonir to the test. Not only does Gwirmalesh up the ante on the monsters he sends out; but Vinny's new sidekicks have a difficult time keeping their pasts from coming back to haunt them. Feds - both for and against Cortascian restoration - routinely meddle in HanomCorp affairs, putting Kayla and Carlos in jeopardy. Yolanda Modi cannot stop checking in on her son, even though she has yet to fully legitimize the Modi family. This jeopardizes Carlos and Hanom, as they prefer not to be seen associating with Mexican cartels. Kayla finds that some of the lowlifes she'd encountered in the past aren't done with her - and aren't too happy about her effort to go straight.

Making matters even more complicated, the Percolation Wave becomes increasingly unstable. The Eccentriaverse is at risk of merging with the Dromedeverse. However, it's unknown how the two different Earths will finally settle once they've reconciled. The pocket realities of the Dromedeverse raise even further questions. Amidst all this, it's revealed that Gwirmalesh has had an operation in Japan trying to rip off gadgets from Sorisenshi - a firm that shares similar interests as HanomCorp. Realizing that the two have a strong future together in protecting Cortascian interests, Sorisenshi discusses buying out HanomCorp. The repercussions of this negotiation process to finalize the buyout, however, puts stress on both the board at Sorisenshi and on HanomCorp's board of directors. Hanom himself discovers that Gwirmalesh takes very seriously the repercussions of it all - especially the prospect of stealing more Percolation tech!

Volkonir continues to struggle with trying to free Editrab of Gwirmalesh's brainwashing, and that the brothers should be on the same side. Editrab was able to escape after his defeat in Montana, and tried to lay low in Tokyo. However, local guardian Masato Yoneda, the Spectral Hare Samurai, took the perceived "threat" of Tarantrum in Tokyo very seriously. It took some effort for Volkonir to convince Masato that Tarantrum was no longer the enemy. Grateful, Editrab retreated from Japan to hide somewhere in northern Montana, a ways away from either HanomCorp or Gwirmalesh.

Volkonir and Masato don't have long to reconcile their differences before they are confronted by Seirsionnach - who tampers with some Percolation tech and gets the two of them trapped in a Dromedeverse pocket dimension's version of ancient China. Shi-Liu Zhang, the local regional overlord, is trying to rule his province. He uses his bond to the XomiaFaeCore to impersonate being a Chinese deity. However his real plans are much more nefarious. Zhong Kui and Cherry Fairy are the local superheroes out to stop him; but they seem outmatched. Volkonir urges Masato not to get involved, but Masato complains that what he's witnessing reminds him too much of a bad movie he once saw. Volkonir realizes that Masato's brash insistence on involving himself in rewriting the story has put everyone in jeopardy; but that there's no turning back.

Able to somehow use PercoComms across dimensions, Volkonir is able to make contact with Kayla. A mysterious figure dubbing himself MODM comes along, also offering to help anyway he can. Volkonir discusses a plan that would require MODM and Vanessa to make a trip to Cornwallis Island - where the last-known traces of Bison activity have been recorded. MODM is able to use his random object summoning to generate a detector. Vanessa and MODM are then able to awaken the Bison, and escape via a vortex. The Bison is led into a trap, Percolating him into the same pocket dimension that Volkonir and Masato are in. Just when it appears that Shi-Liu is about to win, the Bison attacks him.

Volkonir and his allies retreat. They are able to trick the Bison one more time, sending him back to Eccentriaverse Cornwallis Island. Sorisenshi sends out a private army to retrieve the Elite Warriors, and to secure Zhong Kui and Cherry Fairy's escape from angry mobs of confused villagers. Gwirmalesh then begins to focus almost entirely on Percolation tech, as it is his path to the future.

Team Volkonir exposed
Volkonir and Masato have a few more adventures together, before parting ways. After all: the Spectral Hare Samurai needs to defend Japan while Volkonir defends Montana. Team Volkonir's cover is increasingly put to the test, however, as more and more troublemakers from the past reveal themselves. Slaughterquinn proves to be one of the most elusive killers in Bozeman. The Lirquinwur siblings also resurface. When Ezhnelli's effort to hurt Katie Averes is thwarted, Marzwhatti goes to Bozeman to make Team Volkonir pay. Defeating Marzwhatti once and for all - with Gwirmalesh's forces even helping Team Volkonir in this quest - leads to Ezhnelli seeking revenge. Team Volkonir is able to over come her too, though the Gwirdons don't prioritize helping Team Volkonir when it comes to Ezhnelli. It's not long before the Gwirdons return to their usual evildoing.

Vantina is able to escape from storage, around the time that her brother Raccglow begins terrorizing Bozeman. An ultraviolet attacks-themed monster named Uwchfiol is sent to subdue and recapture Vantina. However, Team Volkonir is able to protect her. Hanom uses his connections to convince a local mental ward to masquerade Vantina as an inpatient, keeping her out of the way of Gwirdon activity and local police alike.

Darrien Typewray, a psychopath who has crossed paths with Kayla once before, escapes from prison. He has managed to capture a team of inmates recruited by said Marshal team to assist with his capture, and now the Marshals need to rescue their team in order to stop Darrien. The Marshals figure out that Kayla is working for HanomCorp, and try to recruit her. They find themselves recruiting the entire Elite Guard team of HanomCorp R&D, with Team Volkonir now forced to assume the roles of the prisoners they're trying to rescue - while also helping apprehend Darrien. All the while, Vinny has to try to keep the Marshals from figuring out that he's the Golden Lion Knight.

The quest to track down the missing prisoners proves effective. However, Darrien retaliates by making Team Volkonir his new targets - especially his goal to break Kayla's spirit. Suspecting way sooner than the Marshals that Vinny must be the Golden Lion Knight, Darrien tracks some retreating Gwirdon Treaders down. He follows them all the way to Gwirmalesh's hideout. Gwirmalesh offers to transform Darrien into Sluggien, his newest kaijin. A long, bitter battle ensues across Bozeman. However, Team Volkonir is finally able to defeat Sluggien. The Marshals agree not to reveal what they suspect: that Vinny is the Golden Lion Knight - to avoid undue harassment from Bozeman police. However, they warn Team Volkonir that they're now going to be under surveillance - especially Kayla!

The team's existence in the Bozeman area is further brought to the attention of Gwirmalesh's spies within the US government, however, when Team Volkonir's finally defeating the dragon Strumpule happens at the cost of Strumpule destroying a farm just outside of the town of Churchhill.

Defeating Gwirmalesh
See also: Volkonir: Rise of Semaphry

In June of 2017, Gwirmalesh decides that the time is right to stage his march on Washington - seizing control of the White House after killing Trump. His plant in Social Security, former CPS agent Terrence Hoshijo, sets to work misplacing files on Hanom - having Hanom declared dead by Social Security. As a result, all expenses by HanomCorp are flagged. Hoshijo then sets to work to take down Team Volkonir - as well as get his ultimate revenge on Kayla for breaking his nose years earlier. Around this same time, Hanom has finally found the location of the Statue of Silnya. Vinny is able to rescue the statue, and restore Silnya. However, she begins aging rapidly. She hands her mogriffer to Vinny, and reminds him that Kayla won't last long in the Golden Lion armor. Vinny is able to meet up with Kayla, after saying goodbye to the dying Silnya. He announces that as Silnya's spirit rises, so too will a new Crystal Swan.

Kayla finds herself in serious jeopardy, as the Golden Lion powers begin rejecting her. However, Vinny comes to reclaim them. They battle with Diabloq, and Vinny is able to hold the line until police begin firing on Diabloq. Vinny notices that the police are after him too, and flees into the suburbs. He and Kayla meet up, then head to Vinny's apartment. Learning that Carlos has been abducted by feds and that Yolanda has smuggled Vanessa to a safehouse, the two of them work as fast as they can to reconfigure the Crystal Swan mogriffer to work with Kayla. The two are able to escape right as Hoshijo's men send Apache helicopters to shoot up the apartment building.

They meet up eventually with Hanom, after an additional series of adventures in Pennsylvania. Kayla heads with Hanom to Social Security's office, in order to undo the misfiling of records that Hoshijo caused. This results in Kayla having to protect the agency while Hanom and the agents try to undo Hoshijo's tampering with files - so Hanom can be legally resurrected. Meanwhile, Vinny locates where Carlos was taken. With some help from Lenny, Vinny is able to spring Carlos out of prison. They meet up with Hanom and Kayla, right as Gwirmalesh has turned DC into a war zone.

Hoshijo has Gwirmalesh transform him into a giant blue kaiju. As Hanom, Carlos, and Secret Service protect Trump, the Golden Lion and Crystal Swan Knights head out to meet Hoshijo and Diabloq. Diabloq is finally able to subdue Kayla at one point, while Volkonir is distracted battling Hoshijo. Realizing that she's running low on armor life and could forcibly demogriffy soon, she remembers hearing about how Horzhed fell to Diabloq - and how the Red Serpent was never recovered. On a hunch, she taunts Diabloq into summoning the Red Serpent armor. Diabloq is about to finish her off; but the Red Serpent armor begins to reject him almost immediately, seriously injuring him. Kayla is able to snatch the mogriffer away as Diabloq demogrifies in agony, and then augments the Red Serpent powers to her own Crystal Swan base. This allows her to slay Diabloq, avenging Horzhed's death.

However, Hoshijo starts gaining the upperhand against Volkonir. Kayla intercepts to assist; but is not able to finish the job. Volkonir allows Kayla to augment the Golden Lion, making her a trio combination of Knights. Gwirmalesh seizes the opportunity to use Swivertik on Volkonir once again, transforming him back into his toy form. Kayla uses her trio form to attack Gwirmalesh, striking the Gwirdon king to the ground in a lucky shot. As Gwirmalesh tries to get back up, he realizes that Kayla has seized Swivertik away from him. Kayla tries to use Swivertik to revert the Trinket of Morlikus back to being King Morlikus. However, this destroys the wand - requiring Volkonir to have to be sent to Big Rapids once more if he wishes to reach the Pool of Healing again.

Kayla's effort to restore Morlikus wasn't entirely in vain, however. Morlikus wastes no time becoming the Argon Vole Knight, and strikes Gwirmalesh dead with a few strokes from Dwidgel. Kayla integrates the Argon Vole powers into her already trio Knight form, becoming a Four-Knight pattern. She uses this to destroy Hoshijo once and for all. She returns the Argon Vole, Golden Lion, and Red Serpent mogriffers to Morlikus, and tells him to flee to Big Rapids with Volkonir as soon as possible. Police descend on the street near where Hoshijo fell, and Kayla is arrested.

The new Knights of Cortascius
A grateful Trump offers all of Team Volkonir and HanomCorp pardons for every criminal charge they're facing. He even extends this to Lenny, though he fails to follow through with prosecuting Lenny's abductors. In early August of 2017, Kayla is released from Waseca Women's Prison in Minnesota. Morlikus is all too eager to have the new Knights of Cortascius on his side. However, he warns them that restoring Cortascia won't be easy. Gwirmalesh may have been defeated; but Mogabir is all too eager to take Gwirmalesh's place! Also, Mogabir has managed to acquire some Percolation tech. The new Knights will have their work cut out for them - defending not only Cortascius, but the multiverse!

Sorisenshi and HanomCorp are able to use their new alliance with the Trump administration to wipe out the remains of Gwirmalesh's lair beneath Chestnut Mountain. However, Mogabir is effortlessly able to retreat the Gwirdons. Those that don't remain with operations in Japan, are instructed instead to return to Castle Gwirdonia. HanomCorp resources are then utilized to send a construction team to Cortascius. A new Moroti Castle is built rather quickly, with practicality and access to modern tech being emphasized. Kayla, Carlos, Vanessa, Vantina, and Lenny all eventually move with Hanom and Vinny to live with Morlikus on Cortascius. Yolanda, now closer than ever to achieving her goal of fully legitimizing the Modi family, shifts her focus toward courting Aaron Tarington.

Carlos is officially made the new Red Serpent Knight, with the recovered Silver Ferret mogriffer being given to Lenny. Lenny is given his own lab on Cortascius, in a makeshift house and garage setup that promises to replace the trailer life he lost. His research now includes research on Weaving, especially in regards to vehicles and survivalist gear that the Knights could use. Lenny is also tasked with using the Tapestry to develop Cortascian Scout teams that can protect Cortascian interests back on Earth - so the Knights can stay focused on the kingdom itself. Since Morlikus is getting a bit old for being the Argon Vole Knight, they elect that Lenny will be the first go-to auxiliary knight called upon for backup if the core team of three isn't enough.

The Knights of Cortascius find themselves periodically sharing adventures with the Camelry, as their universes are still dangerously close to merging. When Mogabir's kaijin become too powerful, Lenny becomes part of the core team. Masato is eventually summoned to Cortascius to assist the team as well. However, Mogabir concludes that one of the quickest ways to demoralize the entire arrangement is to find a way to kill Masato. Defeat of Masato has the opposite of the intended effect, however. In a pinch, Morlikus decides that Masato's replacement should be Vantina. The Knights are surprised to discover that Sorisenshi's samurai power program is so poor at failsafes, that the Spectral Hare powers bond with a vampire with no trouble. Vantina dedicates much of her spare time to studying Japanese fighting styles after this, in order to become a worthy successor to Masato. Sorisenshi states that their template for the Spectral Hare was just generic enough, that any number of samurai can be created to return to Earth.

Percolation Warriors
By May of 2019, the Knights of Cortascius learn that Mogabir has stepped up his game. He has teamed up with Rappaccini and Xironooti to create a new Triumvirate. The Percolation Warriors are formed to combat this threat, with the Knights of Cortascius teaming up with the Twirflame Trio, the Sodality of Gerosha, and the Camelry to foil multiverse-level threats.  Eventually, the Knights are able to cut Mogabir and the Gwirdons off from the greater multiverse, trapping them in the Eccentriaverse long term.  Mogabir himself is finally defeated, along with Hiktomoph.  However, there are other Gwirdon leaders.  The Knights and Samurai of Cortascius know full well that the job of protecting Castle Moroti will never be completely over - not until the planet is destroyed, or the Omninova destroys all except for Metabeautalium and Despositalium.

As Morlikus becomes sickly and nears death, he bequeaths the Argon Vole powers to Bonjapech the Vizier. Volkonir reluctantly accepts the role of king, with Kayla as his new bride quickly being coronated as queen of Cortascia. Carlos and Vanessa get married shortly thereafter, and are made royalty in official title. However, the new royals know that the Percolation Warriors will still need them from time to time.

Personality
Volkonir is a generally optimistic soul; but has grown to understand that a universe where Gwirmalesh's influence can still be felt will always be a dangerous place. He does tend to wallow in self-pity in his toy form, as he grows frustrated with his 400 years of imprisonment and with so few willing to help him. After being restored, however, he becomes very driven to discover the Trinket of Morlikus and take it to the Pool of Healing, believing that restoring his father to the throne will restore Cortascius itself.

He was an eager understudy to Lady Semaphry, and even came to view her as a surrogate mother after the death of Queen Wontisha. As a result, he came to view Editrab as a brother, even after Editrab was transformed by Gwirmalesh into the monstrosity Tarantrum. This leads to Volkonir showing Tarantrum a level of compassion and mercy that he normally doesn't display for any of Gwirmalesh's other kaijin.

He is somewhat ignorant of certain Earth culture and social norms, in spite being trapped on Earth in toy form for approximately 400 years. Worse: He hasn't dated anyone since Cortascius - something that Kayla helps him with. His lack of awareness of certain social cues also makes him oblivious to much of Kayla's flirting, resulting in her becoming frustrated in her efforts to seduce him into her bed. It's not that he's not interested in her; but that he is too sexually innocent to recognize seduction cues. He does reveal later that he does care about her a lot, and she reveals that he's more to her than just a fun night fantasy.

Volkonir has never been very good at watching his own back, making him vulnerable to attacks from behind. He has, however, demonstrated a bloodthirsty side for enemies that have especially harmed him or tried his patience. He often taunts them by offering them one of two really awful fates to choose from, showing at best a false mercy. He also has threatened General Hiktomoph, going so far as to say he'd "gouge out his eyes, all 3,000 of them!"

While generally naive on certain topics to begin with, he will play dumb to an extra degree on the campus of Montana State University, in the hopes that this will convince other students that he's too dense to be the Golden Lion Knight. Vinny is almost always up to protect those he loves from Gwirdon threats, and will become laser-focused on completing a mission. In spite his usual cheery demeanor, his past failures on Cortascius haunt him frequently.

Inspiration
The earliest inspiration for Volkonir as a character dates back to January of 2008, in the spring semester at Ferris State University, for a video production class. Five years earlier, in the middle of January of 2003, the Dozerfleet founder was enrolled in FILM 118 class at Lansing Community College. Most of the class wanted to make fantasy or high-fantasy-themed videos. The Dozerfleet founder was the only one who primarily wanted to make a horror film instead. However, unlike the others who considered slashers or zombies to be the de-facto horror style, the Dozerfleet founder was opting for an American J-horror / space fantasy fusion. That project ultimately became The Blue Face Film Strips. While Blue Face presented a very interesting premise, its greater world remained largely unexplored and unexpanded for several years after its release.

As January of 2008 approached, the new film class at Ferris began to feel very quickly like a repeat of FILM 118. Since most of that class wanted to make horror films, and the Dozerfleet founder had already made a horror film in 2003, he opted to make a fantasy film instead - to explore the fun of role reversals.

The initial idea presented in class was to used a stuffed toy in the place of a frog, and have a modern retelling of The Frog Prince be told. But instead of the girl marrying the prince after he gets kissed, he turns into a henshin hero after she throws him at a pipe. He then saves her from his mortal ancient enemies, before he finds her a date with someone else to show his gratitude. He afterward promptly vanishes, leaving the heroine who saved him more confused than anything else.

The prince needed a marketable name, preferably something that hadn't been trademarked elsewhere already. This was inspired by the fact that Liquidon Ethereteel and Neone Delft in Stationery Voyagers were both originally named "Liquilight" and "Neoni." Their names were changed after the discovery of Liqui-Lights pens, as well as the revelation that there was already an anime character named "Neoni." A repeat of that was not desired. Initially, the character was to be named "Prince Volkri" in paper drafts. But other entities at the time - including a porn site - used that name. To avoid bumping into those, "Prince Volkri" was quickly renamed to "Prince Volkonir."

The prince's concept borrowed ideas heavily from Saban's Masked Rider, to the point that King Morlikus' beard was just a dark black version of King Lexion's beard, and Selshon was intended to have similar functionality to the Electro Saber / Revolcane. The Gwirdon Treaders were originally intended to be a merger of Gwirkers from a Golden Toad story idea from the 90s, along with the Maggots from Masked Rider.

Volkonir's squire disguise, which he was wearing when defeated by Gwirmalesh wielding Swivertik, was not figured out in development of the mythology until 2017. Instead, the initial script called for him to still be wearing his prince outfit when liberated from toy form. Costume parts for his toy form were kitbashed together, mostly from clothes found at the Goodwill of Big Rapids. Selshon's original prop model, likewise, was a toy sword from the since-defunct K-Mart of Big Rapids.

Evolution of characterization
Depiction of Vinny's personality has varied amidst drafts.

The "jerk-with-a-heart-of-gold" era
A draft script for the canceled 2008 Volkonir film depicted him as a perpetually angry and vengeful, but also depicted him as panicked and desperate to fulfill his mission. He behaves in a rude and entitled manner toward Cassie when he first meets her; even arguing that she "may as well" help him out, given that her friends ditched her. Therefore, she had no excuse not to help him. In spite his insistence on not having time for formalities, he feels compelled to give her heavy exposition when he suspects she won't help him. He also expresses a higher level of arrogance in this early draft than he has shown since then; but has also been shown to be much more efficient.

He claims that the two Gwirdon Treaders still chasing him are "the only ones left," but that they "can't get their spells right." He also mentions urgency of getting to the Granger Center to access a "Realm of Healing," which would become the Pool of Healing in later revisions. He also discusses a longing to wield his "Ice-and-Roast Saber" once again, to finish the Gwirdons off. This was a conceit he expressed before revisions named the sword "Selshon." Gwirmalesh as the wielder of the "Evil Wand" (later named "Swivertik") that Volkonir was so afraid of was not acknowledged by Volkonir until revisions came in 2015. Likewise, it wasn't until 2015 that he would officially adopt the alias while on Earth of "Vinny Mason." Toy Volkonir also warns Cassie to avoid the hair salon across the street from Big Rapids Cinema.

The Gwirdons' "Realm of Evil" (later revised to Castle Gwirdonia) had a portal hidden somewhere inside the hair salon, and implied that the salon owners themselves were "pure evil." The salon was effectively equated with being a portal to Hell. The demonization of that particular salon has changed very little since then, except to be downplayed in emphasis in later works   by simply minimizing or else avoiding discussing it.

"Emo" Volkonir
Volkonir's mean and snippy persona was drastically toned down almost immediately following the original draft script. In the trailer, which was released about a month later in the same year, Volkonir's entitle jackass persona was replaced with an almost one-track-minded warrior looking to have himself restored. He is heavily introspective, and consumed with nostalgia for his old world and way of life. In the original film version of Volkonir Journals: Attempt #43, Volkonir was depicted as highly introspective and mopey, to the point of being seen as having an "Eeyore complex." What sets him apart, is his determination to accomplish his goals, in spite of his clear bout with depression.

Contemporary Volkonir
His canonical portrayal as a complex being began with early draft material for Rise of Semaphry back in 2015. The canonization of his persona in its present form came with 2017's Volkonir Meets the Power Rangers.

Appearance
Volkonir has always been intended to have a look similar to his current Sims 4 form. The somewhat similar brunette variant look for him was directly inspired by then-volunteer actor and Ferris student John DeBruyn, who has since gone on to be a tutor in Japanese language studies for Grand Valley State University.

The toy form for Volkonir was initially modeled after a January 2008 New Year's celebration smiley face plush available at Wal-Mart, modified to remove its hat. This remained Volkonir's default toy form until around early 2017, when he was issued a new look of a toy lion plush - to show that Gwirmalesh wished to make mockery of the Golden Lion powers. This new form was rendered from Photoshop edits of a Sims 4 clip, wherein the original toy in the game screenshots was a teddy bear. The bear was modified ever so slightly in shape, its ears made sharper-tipped, and given a mane, to make it better resemble a lion.

Much of Volkonir's look, and that of his accessories, involves considerable nods to The Sims 4 and to various henshin TV shows, especially those in the history of Saban Entertainment in the 1990s. The Golden Lion Knight armor was modified from a default knight armor available for Sims in The Sims 4: Get Together. The glowing red effects of the Golden Lion emblem's eyes, nose, and mouth, as well as the glowing red helmet eye lights, were done to show that the Tapestry adds some sort of electrical power to the armor. This could be interpreted as either a nod to MCU War Machine, or to Green Hunter Beetleborg Rolland Williams from Big Bad Beetleborgs.

While less cartoonish in portrayal, Volkonir's socially awkward efforts to blend in as "Vinny Mason" are a reference to Dex Stewart from Saban's Masked Rider. The Golden Lion Cycle, modified from a Sims 4 motorcycle design, is a non-sentient nod to Chopper from that same show. In spite Selshon having some versatility like that of He-Man's Sword of Power, it was ironically not inspired by it. His relationship to his father Morlikus, however, is a reference to both King Duncan's relationship to Adam in He-Man and to King Lexian's relation to Dex in Masked Rider. The Golden Lion Mogriffer is modeled to look like a mix between a Zeonizer morpher from Power Rangers Zeo and the Ecto-Accelerator Belt from Masked Rider, but with a medieval Christian cross etched into its design. Volkonir's heavily-implied Celtic ethnic heritage is a nod to Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog.

Gallery

 * -|Golden Lion Knight=
 * -|Civilian=
 * -|Toy Volkonir=

Trivia

 * Volkonir isn't the first character in Dozerfleet's lineup to have the motif of needing a rich mentor / sponsor, being disadvantaged somehow, losing his family, needing to make new friends to assume his hero form again, having power-ups to his form, gaining a girlfriend / fiancee sidekick, and taking inspiration from Saban's Masked Rider at points. Replox, the hero of Replox: Abstract Foundations, was already doing all of this - a whole seven years prior to Volkonir being drafted.
 * However, Volkonir could be modified in design to the point of being a viable character on his own. Replox was entirely made in reference to the 1996 Rubik's Snake.  Marketing him for profit commercially at the time would have required special licensing from Seven Towns Ltd.  This is why Volkonir remains pending as a for-profit novel series, whereas Replox: The Series was abandoned.  This made Replox: Abstract Foundations a one-time deal, with the novel released as a free download.


 * Volkonir's PercoRods in Volkonir and the Knights of Cortascius are inspired by the Jens' Percolation Wands in Camelorum Adventures, after the Jens teach Hanom how to be better at making Percolation tech.


 * The only power Volkonir has ever safely augmented to his own, outside of using the Crystal Swan as a plug bay, was the Dragon Shield in the semi-canonical crossover Volkonir Meets the Power Rangers. Both Volkonir and the Rangers expressed confusion over how this was able to work so easily.


 * Mogriffers like Volkonir's work similarly to other henshin talismans, such as Power Ranger morphers. The way he can conceal them in bodily hammerspace generated by the Tapestry is most similar to the way that the Zeonizers in Power Rangers Zeo operate.


 * While Volkonir may have some superficial visual similarities in his Prince Volkonir form to Prince Adam, Vinny cannot use Selshon the way Adam can the Sword of Power. Selshon can do many things; but it cannot serve as a substitute mogriffer.  The Golden Lion Knight and He-Man are not interchangeable concepts, even if their host bodies have some common traits.


 * Using a damaged mogriffer poses the same risks as a Power Ranger using a damaged morpher, as shown in Power Rangers in Space and Power Rangers Operation Overdrive. Henshin talisman dependence poses inherent risks, no matter the particulars of the meta source.


 * As is speculated on in the series Death Battle, Power Rangers' access to the Grid influences their suits. The Grid produces an energy field around their suits that takes damage for them, allowing them to survive blows that would kill or seriously injure anyone else.  But the morph state only holds up to a certain threshold.  If it takes too much damage, an unmorph will occur.  Vinny's mogrification into his armor via the Tapestry operates on similar principles.  Thus, taking too much damage will leave him without his armor, and make him especially vulnerable.


 * In Volkonir Meets the Power Rangers, the Morphin' Grid can act as a substitute Tapestry. However, while still way more durable than most of the Rangers, Vinny feels himself getting weaker the longer he is in the Rangers' world.
 * Only Marlquaanites and other Gerosha Multiverse beings bonded to the Marlquaan can remain equally strong in a foreign timeline as in their native timeline. All Eccentriaverse and Dromedeverse powered beings get weaker the longer they are in a foreign timeline.
 * The XomiaFaeCore is arguably the least reliable meta power source, as it took very little time for Lemon Witch to become almost powerless in the Teen in Terror Life pocket dimension. Volkonir, by contrast, would have remained competently powerful in that same world for at least twice as long.


 * If the Percolation Wave makes a clone of Vinny and the Golden Lion armor to be native to a different timeline than the Eccentriaverse, that clone will use the native meta power source without the gradual weakening process that the original is vulnerable to.


 * Knight mogriffer failsafes are similar in concept to how the Golden Power Staff in Power Rangers Zeo was primarily attuned to Triforian physiology, making it dangerous for Jason Scott to be the Gold Ranger for too long.
 * Likewise, Volkonir being the "Golden" Lion but using dark green as a base color is inspired by both the original Green Ranger's color scheme and by the Zeo Gold Ranger using black as a base.
 * The Golden Lion Knight having red eyelights in his helmet and a green base can also be seen as a nod to Big Bad Beetleborgs, wherein Rolland Williams had a Green Hunter armor that used green as a base, had red eyelights, and had an accent color of silver. Likewise, Carlos as the Red Serpent Knight has yellow eyelights, like Jo had.  However, Kayla's Crystal Swan has blue eyelights, and uses a bluish-white base with sky blue trims for armor color.  Making blue heroines a lighter shade than male blue heroes is also a common tokusatsu trope.
 * The knight theme is merely an acknowledgment of Volkonir's time period, and in keeping with the fantasy theme that was chosen for the original TV production class wherein which he was first developed. His somewhat Celtic heritage, however, is a slight nod to Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog.


 * It is assumed that in the Marvel Gaming Fanfic Universe, the Power Cosmic (or whatever else granted the Cosmic Rays the power to give the Fantastic Four their abilities) would somehow bond to Volkonir and keep his Golden Lion powers alive. However, this would leave him vulnerable to being controlled by Galactus.  His armor will take longer to recharge between sessions - and will drain much faster.  The longer he is in a foreign timeline, the less efficient he will be.
 * All Cortascian Elite Warriors have this same issue.

Mancino's ad
Volkonir has appeared in more than just works that are fully 100% canon to his Eccentriaverse timeline. In a rough draft recording for the voiceover work for the Mancino's Pizza ad of January of 2010 in Big Rapids, the Toy Volkonir voice effect from Volkonir Journals: Attempt #43 was intended to be used for narration. Only the "Mmmhm" audio remained in the final cut, however, as the remaining Volkonir narration for that ad was swapped out at the last minute with narration by then-Ferris student Josh Byers.

Volkonir Meets the Power Rangers
Main article: Volkonir Meets the Power Rangers

In 2017, to promote the Lionsgate Power Rangers film coming out at that time and also promote the revamping of Fandom's official wiki for Mighty Moshin' Emo Rangers, the semi-canonical Volkonir Meets the Power Rangers was created, mostly using The Sims 4 (with a tiny handful of screenshots from Sims 3.) This story features an older take on the Spectral Hare Samurai's armor, before a functional look for it was possible in Sims 4, when only a spliced-in Sims 3 version was possible. This story is set shortly after the events in the "Knight and Samurai" 3-part saga, and after the defeat of Seirsionnach.

Gwirmalesh wants to steal Hanom's most recent Percolation device. However, Seirsionnach's cousin Slaisionnach proves dangerous and unreliable for the task at hand. The ensuing chaotic events lead to Masato and Carlos having to stand guard over 1993 Jason Scott in the hospital. Meanwhile, 1993 Trini Kwan and Zack Taylor get lost on HanomCorp grounds, and are arrested by Bozeman police for "trespassing." Vinny and Kayla are sent to the 1993 Power Rangers' world, where they quickly find themselves in trouble with Rita's monsters. Zordon and Alpha don't entirely trust Volkonir and Kayla at first, but let them into the Command Center anyway. Desperate to get back home to Gwirmalesh after realizing his big mistake, Slaisionnach agrees to help Rita. He upgrades several Putties to "Slaisionnutties," and increases their bloodlust several-fold.

Hanom grows desperate for answers on how to save Vinny and Kayla. He finally takes Vanessa's advice, and summons MODM for help. MODM is all too eager to help out; but this proves problematic. Hanom takes himself, MODM, Vanessa, the 2017 Power Rangers, and the Emo Rangers to Gallatin County Jail, in a bid to pay Zack and Trini's bail. However, the officers decide to harass MODM and the Rangers instead. Kimberly 2017, now possessed by "Possumbility" due to a glitch in MODM's summoning, begins behaving erratically, and irritates the officers until they lock her up.

MODM finally gets the 2017 Rangers and Emo Rangers into the 1993 Rangers' world, and the different teams try to restore order to a greater LA / Angel Grove area that has been completely ravaged by Slaisionnach's homicidal henchmen. Slaisionnach gets an upgrade, which is only defeated by breaking his new super tooth against the one item it's vulnerable against: ceramic. After MODM helps 2017 Kimberly escape from jail, she steals Volkonir's Biggby mug - and uses it to restore Slaisionnach to his regular form.

As Slaisionnach finally grows giant-sized, the Selshon-enhanced Dragonzord has to team up with the 2017 Megazord plus with the Mega Emo Fight Bot to finally kill Slaisionnach. The Phaemer Village Peacekeepers are also brought into the mix, along with Stephanie from Lazy Town. After Slaisionnach is defeated, MODM calls for celebrating by sending the 2017 Rangers and Emo Rangers to the 2017 Rangers' world - to its version of Big Rapids. The 1993 Rangers, apart from the fact that they now have several funerals to attend, are able to resume life as normal. The 2017 Rangers celebrate by eating pizza at Mancino's, and Kim buys Volkonir a new Biggby mug. The 2017 Rangers soon have to deal with the repercussions of the events in Aftershock. Meanwhile, Team Volkonir tries to return to its initial status quo. This doesn't take long, as Gwirdon Treaders are spotted in the distance nearby.

This version of Volkonir is often shown to be especially goofy and naive. His flirting sessions with Kayla are intended to be extra cringe-inducing, as the work is set up as a comedy. While Volkonir can augment with Kayla's Crystal Swan armor in The Knights of Cortascius to become a hybrid knight form - or use that augmentation to further augment the powers of any of the other Knights - this special is the only time that Volkonir has ever been shown being able to augment powers that didn't originate on Cortascius. In one scene, he boosts himself by borrowing the Dragon Shield.

Gaming
Volkonir is playable in The Sims 4, and the Gallery has downloads of him available - including no-CC varieties that are assured to be PS4-friendly. Whether found alone or with his friends as they looked during Volkonir: The Series, he is shown as a Sim going by the alias of Vinny Mason. He was promoted as an attraction for The Sims 4: Oughties Big Rapids Living Stuff, especially in an ad for OBRL that was released to YouTube in the summer of 2020, as part of The Merre Edition. His Vinny Mason form was set up to reappear later on, in the Volkonir Story Pack. That latter pack was set up to include his armor, some CC or links for a few of his accessories, as well as whatever would be needed to depict a few of his allies and enemies.

The instruction manual for OBRL also references Cassie Helm, though she doesn't appear in the pack. While she and Dereck are available on the Gallery, there are no plans to patch them into OBRL. Instead, in 2021, OBRL received The Sherpa Patch and The Relisted Patch. These patches added new folder icons, as well as making Unlisted available outside the Gallery and putting Matt Kamrowski's Sherpa Sheriff character into the game. Listed below are requirements for the no-CC version of Vinny as a Sim: