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Cygnus

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Story
NPC
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Cygnus is the current Empress of Maple World, the founder of the Cygnus Knights, and an partially awakened Transcendent-in-reserve.

Story[]

Prelude[]

In the aftermath of the Ancient War, the divine bird Shinsoo was tasked with protecting a particular bloodline, which had grown intertwined with the Transcendents, such that a descendent of that bloodline would one day awaken to become a replacement Transcendent should the need arise.

To this end, Shinsoo used her power to create the floating island of Ereve, which became a seat of power for the Empress of Maple World, whose bloodline held the power of the Transcendents. Shinsoo also created the Piyos, a race of bird-like creatures, who would carry out her will to aid the Empress.

Through Shinsoo's power, the Knight of Light was created to defend the Empress, using the Soul Shield to produce light from the depths of their soul.

During the war against the Black Mage, Maple World was ruled by her ancestor, Empress Aria. When Aria was murdered by Lotus, one of Black Mage's Commanders, the throne of Ereve was left empty, as Aria had no children. Aria's niece was the sole survivor of the Empress' bloodline, and left Ereve after her aunt's death.

Without the Empress, both Shinsoo and the Knight of Light were weakened. Following the attack, the next successor to the Knight of Light placed the Seal Stone of Ereve inside the Soul Shield, which they and their successors guarded with their lives.

Empress in Training[]

NPCArtwork (Full Body) Cygnus (Young 6)

A young Cygnus

Centuries later, a young scholar from Rien named Neinheart connected the dots across history and located Cygnus, identifying her as the last member of Aria's bloodline and the true heir to the throne. He brought Cygnus before the elders of Ereve in the hopes that they would recognize Cygnus as the heir of Ereve.

The elders gave Cygnus one year to prepare for her responsibilities as Empress, with their decision to crown Cygnus happening at the end of that year. To help Cygnus grow as a leader, Neinheart called an old friend to Ereve - a wandering warrior whom Neinheart had once helped.

Over the course of the year, the wandering warrior and Neinheart tutored Cygnus in subjects such as history, leadership, and diplomacy. However, during the year, Cygnus fell gravely ill. The wandering warrior found a cure for her sickness in Mu Lung, but word reached Orchid, the founder of the Black Wings, that an envoy of Ereve had sought children's medicine. Realizing that Aria's descendent may have been found, Orchid prepared for the Black Wings to invade Ereve.

At the end of the year, Cygnus was brought before the elders, who questioned her about her lessons. They asked Cygnus whether she was ready to shoulder the burdens of being the Empress - that her health would deteriorate while absorbing the power of Shinsoo, the many attempts on her life, and the constant struggle of the people of Maple World looking to her for leadership.

Before Cygnus could respond, however, word arrived that the Black Wings had invaded Ereve, as the kingdom's borders were weak without an Empress to use Shinsoo's power. Cygnus agreed to take on the responsibility of being the Empress and accepted Shinsoo's power. With her leadership, the wandering warrior and the army of Ereve repelled the Black Wings' invasion.

The Cygnus Knights[]

ClassArtwork Cygnus Knights (Original)

The Cygnus Knights

With word of Cygnus' ascent to the throne spreading across Maple World, Cygnus and Neinheart - now the Empress' advisor - decided to create an army of knights that could fight the rising threat of the Black Wings. Shortly after creating the Cygnus Knights, Neinheart explained that the last Knight of Light, Chromile, had gone missing, along with the Seal Stone of Ereve, also known as Shinsoo's Teardrop.

Cygnus and Neinheart soon discovered Mihile, who was in possession of the Soul Shield. Mihile had been raised by his father, Atan, and had been training to awaken the Soul Shield in order to extract Shinsoo's Teardrop and make a wish to revive his brother.

Mihile followed Cygnus to Ereve and began training as a knight when Atan stormed Ereve and demanded that they return Mihile back to him. During the attack, Mihile learned that Atan had kidnapped him from his real family, Chromile and Rikella, in an attempt to manipulate him into reviving Atan's only son.

After Mihile confronted and defeated Atan, he returned the Seal Stone to Cygnus and pledged himself as her guardian, the Knight of Light. Soon after, Cygnus recruited several other knights: a prodigy named Oz, a ranger named Irena, a thief named Eckhart, and a runaway heir named Hawkeye. As they grew stronger together, Cygnus asked them to become the five Chief Knights, with Mihile leading the Dawn Warriors, Oz leading the Blaze Wizards, Irena leading the Wind Archers, Eckhart leading the Night Walkers, and Hawkeye leading the Thunder Breakers.

The Black Witch[]

NPC Eleanor

Eleanor, the Black Witch

As word of the Cygnus Knights spread throughout Maple World, Cygnus was approached by the Resistance - a movement intent on driving the Black Wings from their town of Edelstein. Cygnus pledged her support to the Resistance and arranged for the Cygnus Knights to reinforce the Resistance during their all-out attack on the Black Wings' stronghold. However, the Black Wings learned of Cygnus' involvement and sent Eleanor, the Black Witch, to stop the Knights from arriving in Edelstein. Eleanor cast a curse that turned Cygnus and all the people of Ereve to stone. Although one of Cygnus' knights managed to defeat Eleanor, her curse prevented the Empress from sending reinforcements to Edelstein. As a result, the Resistance's attack failed and their trust in the Cygnus Knights was broken.

The Maple Alliance[]

Cygnus Dream

Cygnus and Future Cygnus

As time passed, the seal on the Black Mage began to weaken. The Heroes of Maple began to return, released from the cursed ice that the Black Mage had trapped them in. One of the heroes, Queen Mercedes of Elluel, approached Cygnus and asked for her aid to protect Elluel from the Black Wings. Another hero, Aran, passed valuable information to Cygnus, warning her of the Black Wings' plot to steal Shinsoo's Teardrop - a Seal Stone given to Empress Aria by Freud centuries ago.

Rumors also began spreading from the Temple of Time of a dark future for Maple World. During the Cygnus Knights' investigation, Cygnus was infected by the darkness inside the Gate to the Future and was narrowly rescued by one of her Cygnus Knights. Shortly after the Black Mage's return, Cygnus decided to create a worldwide alliance to counter the rising darkness. She invited the Resistance, the Explorers' Guild, and the Heroes to the first Continental Conference, from which the Maple Alliance was born.

The Return[]

Hilla's Fake Skaia

Cygnus's questioned authority, with Hilla disguised as Cygnus on the left.

In the wake of the Black Mage's revival, many of his old commanders returned to his side, as well as new ones such as Lucid and Will. Hoping to weaken the Alliance, the Black Mage dispatched Hilla to depose Cygnus. Disguising herself a a noblewoman, Hilla claimed that she was the long-lost descendent of Empress Aria, and that Cygnus was a false Empress.

Before the gathered Alliance, Hilla presented a gem that she claimed to be Skaia, which was said to glow in the hands of those who were part of the Empress' bloodline. Unknown to the Alliance, Hilla had enchanted the gem to glow only in her hands. However, Hilla's plan was foiled by Phantom, who came out of hiding and succeeded in exposing Hilla's true identity. Before disappearing, Phantom gave Cygnus the real Skaia, which Shinsoo had entrusted Phantom with after the death of Empress Aria.

After Hilla's plan failed, the Black Mage ordered Lucid to expand her dark illusion in the Gate to the Future in order to destabilize the Alliance. Lucid's actions successfully weakened the morale of the Alliance and spread distrust amongst their ranks. However, the Alliance's investigation revealed that the dark future was an illusion, allowing them to band together in order to resist the false reality that the Black Mage had hoped to demoralize them with.

New Alliances[]

Later, Phantom joined the Alliance after Lotus failed to possess him in order to assassinate Empress Cygnus. Luminous also joined the Alliance after discovering the truth about his past.

Soon after, the Interdimensional Portal opened in Maple World, and Cygnus was approached by Kaiser and the Angelic Buster, envoys of the Nova from Grandis. After learning of Grandis' struggle against Gerand Darmoor, Cygnus agreed to form an alliance with the Nova, offering the Alliance's support to take back Heliseum from Darmoor's loyal general, Magnus, in exchange for their support to fight the Black Mage.

Shortly after, several other heroes of Grandis joined, including several other Nova, Flora, and Anima.

Alpha and Beta, the new Transcendents of Time, also joined the Alliance after breaking free from their prison, Mirror World.

Cygnus Awakens[]

NPCArtwork Cygnus, 2022 (Awakened 2)

Empress Cygnus after her awakening

In Sleepywood, the Alliance found the hiding place of the World Tree, who was trapped in Root Abyss by one of the Black Mage's commanders, Damien. The Alliance launched a campaign to free Alicia, who was rescued and brought to Ereve, where she rested within Shinsoo's crown jewel.

Some time later, Damien infiltrated Ereve and severely wounded Shinsoo in order to capture Alicia. When Cygnus saw Shinsoo's dead body, the shock caused her to partially awaken her latent Transcendent powers. With her new powers, Cygnus healed Shinsoo and granted greater power to the Cygnus Knights.

With her partial awakening, Shinsoo left Ereve in search of a way to revert her awakening or to complete it, as she feared that Cygnus' unstable power would hurt her. She called one of the Cygnus Knights to her side, where she revealed to them that Cygnus had partially awakened as a reserve to a Transcendent.

As Shinsoo had expected a distant descendent of Cygnus to awaken, she feared what it meant for Cygnus and sought to correct it. She then asked the Knight to stay at Cygnus' side to help her defend Maple World from the coming darkness.

Black Heaven[]

The Alliance learned that Gelimer, the lead scientist of the Black Wings, had constructed a powerful warship called Black Heaven. Intent on stopping Gelimer, Cygnus called the entire Alliance to defeat the Black Wings once and for all. Tensions ran high during the battle, as mistrust between the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights was still present. However, the Alliance was able to destroy Black Heaven and save Maple World. Cygnus used Shinsoo's Teardrop, the final Seal Stone in existence, to save the life of the Alliance member who had destroyed Black Heaven. However, this action removed the final restriction on the Black Mage's power.

Heroes of Maple[]

Damien, having captured Alicia, was ordered by the Black Mage to attack Maple World. Damien gathered an army of demons from Tynerum and launched an all-out war against the Alliance. When Damien used the Transcendence Stone to become the Transcendent of Life, Cygnus ordered the Alliance to evacuate Victoria Island while the Heroes of Maple reunited again to stop Damien.

Arcane River[]

After Damien's defeat, the Black Mage opened the Gate to the Present and used the power of the Erdas to create the Arcane River, where he intended to destroy Maple World and create a new world free - one that would be free from the control of the Overseers. Cygnus ordered the Alliance to investigate the Arcane River, where they learned that the Black Mage was waiting for them at the end. Towards the end of the river, the Black Mage succeeded in taking the power of Tana, the Transcendent of Light of Grandis, and gained the power of creation. With the power of light and darkness, the Black Mage began preparations for the Genesis Ritual.

Tenebris[]

NPCArtwork Cygnus, 2018 (Alliance Commander 5)

Empress Cygnus, nearing adulthood

All the while, Cygnus was plagued with nightmares of the White Mage, who told her that annihilation was the only salvation to the world. In order to stop him from destroying their world and making a new one in his image, Cygnus led the Alliance in the final battle against the Black Mage.

During the fight, Cygnus awakened more of her Transcendent powers and became a beacon of light that led the Alliance through the darkness. Under Cygnus' leadership, the Adversary successfully killed the Black Mage and saved Maple World.

Continental Grandis[]

After the Black Mage's death, Grandis and Maple World, which had been slowly merging for centuries, fused completely together, linking the two dimensions together. Cygnus and the remaining leaders of the Alliance, which had begun to dissolve after the Black Mage's death, began an operation to help the Nova retake Grandis from Gerand Darmoor, who now threatened the fused world.

FriendStory[]

In FriendStory, Cygnus' counterpart is the sheltered, isolated, and incredibly lonely heiress of Shinsoo. She is drawn to the player quickly, who is very surprised that she is more out of place in Seoul than he/she is. Her philanthropic attitude towards the students, while well meaning, is viewed as naïve at times, both by the player and Neinheart.

Gallery[]

Videos[]
[메이플스토리] 시그너스 리턴즈 프로모션 영상
Cygnus Returns Promotional Video
[메이플스토리] 시그너스 리턴즈 업데이트 영상
Cygnus Returns Update Video
MapleStory - Unlimited: Cygnus Returns Animated Intro
Cygnus Returns Update Video (English Subtitles)
MaplestorySEA Knight of Cygnus Revamp Trailer
MapleStory: Cygnus Awakening Anime Video
MapleStory Europe Cygnus Awakening !
메이플특공대 - 보름달 도깨비 야시장
Maple on the Scene (parody of VJ's on the Scene) - Full Moon Goblin Night Market / Empress Cygnus (Maple World empress, Chairman of Maple Union): I'm going to the market to be blessed with a goblin statue. I'll never miss an attack, magic attack, or experience buff.

Trivia[]

  • Cygnus is named after the Cygnus Constellation.[4]
    • The Republic of Korea Air Force held a naming contest of Airbus A330 MRTT among their service members and chose the name 'KC-330 Cygnus' (ko) after holding a deliberation committee session in November 2018 - January 2019, and few years later, one of the winners' confession revealed that he thought the name Empress Cygnus, which is a character in the online game MapleStory.[5][6][7][8] However, the condition of the contest was that only names related to space or birds (excluding birds of prey) would be accepted, and Airbus A330 MRTT originally had a smooth fuselage and wings like a swan, and because it landed gracefully, it was nicknamed the swan among pilots, so he selected as one of winners referred to this and submitted Cygnus, the English name for the constellation Cygnus, and in addition, the sight of swans on the water constantly moving their feet in the water resembles soldiers doing their best to defend the airspace out of sight, and the sight of swans flying in a V-shaped formation resembles an aerial refueling tanker refueling an aircraft in the sky, so it was explained that it came to mind, and this phrase was actually used when promoting it, and in addition, there were many opinions that Cygnus, which means the constellation of the Swan, is better than Swan, which means swan in English. However, as mentioned before, since the name of MapleStory's Cygnus is taken from the constellation Cygnus, that claim is not entirely wrong.
  • Cygnus and her Knights were among the first Bosses to receive voiceovers.
  • Cygnusroid and Alliance Commander Cygnusroid are modeled after Cygnus.
  • In the Cygnus Returns update, the Cygnus Knight storyline stated that Cygnus had partially awakened as the fourth Transcendent. However, this was retconned in the Ignition update, which stated that Cygnus has awakened as a reserve to an unknown Transcendent.

References[]

  1. ↑ Cygnus is descended from Aria's sibling (brother or sister), rather than Aria herself.
  2. ↑ Also provides the voice(s) of Angelic Buster, Sanaan (Monad, Hilla, Ain, Juli, Freya, Bowman (Female), Pathfinder (Female), Pirate (Female), Cannoneer (Female), and Irena.
  3. ↑ Also provides the voice(s) of Irena, Aria, Athena Pierce, Female Student (FriendStory), Ghost (FriendStory), Lepi, Magician (Female), Thief (Female), Dual Blade (Female), and Olive.
  4. ↑ 시그너스기사단 아프리카 라이브방송 1편요약 (Korean)
  5. ↑ ［썰왕썰래］아~그 비행기? 그거 내가 이름 지었잖아~ (Korean)
  6. ↑ 개복어 유튜브 메이플 덕분에 휴가 5박6일 받은 썰 (Korean)
  7. ↑ TIL that the KC-330 Cygnus, the ROKAF's name for the Airbus A330 MRTT tanker, came from a character in MapleStory
  8. ↑ Anyone know why it's called "Cygnus"? I know means swan, but where did it get the name.
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