This... can't... be... happening!! -- The Pious Augustus (Eternal Darkness) Support Thread

[Oddball]

Welcome to the support thread for Pious Augustus, the main antagonist of Eternal Darkness.

"I had no knowledge of what was to come... nor did I care. How the knowledge changed me, it will also change you. As you read this, you will come to learn fear as I have. You, too, will come to understand... or you will perish. To think that once I could not see beyond the veil of our reality, to see those who dwell behind. My life now has purpose, for I have learned the frailty of flesh and bone. I was once a fool..."



What's Eternal Darkness?
"Once I was as you were... Confused and without answers. Yet they came in time."

It's Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, actually. Eternal Darkness is a horror survival game developed by Silicon Knights and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It's perhaps best known for it's Sanity Effects, although it's also notable for for being the first rated M game published by Nintendo.

The story involves a young woman named Alex Rovias receing a phone call to come to her grandfather's creepy mansion in Rhode Island to identify her grandfather's body. The police can't use dental records because his head is missing. Alex begins her own investigation to discover what happened and uncovers a centuries old conspiracy. During the course of the game the player takes control of many different characters in locations across the world and thoughout the ages as they each become embroiled in the afraid of Pious Agustus and the Dark Gods.

The game wasn't a commercial success upon it's release but has been wildly praised by those who played it and won numerous awards. It has since acquired (fittingly) somewhat of a cult following.

If this game doesn't scare you, then you're already dead.



Who ...or what ... is Pious Augustus?
"How can you, a mere mortal, comprehend what that entity represents, or what power it can wield?"

Pious Augustus was once a Roman Centurion in 26 BC who stumbles upon three ancient Eldritch artifacts in some Persian Ruins. Each artifact corresponds to one of three nefarious Ancient Gods who used to lord over the primordial Earth before being banished to an alternate plane of existence: Ulyaoth, God of Magick, Chattur'gha, God of Matter, and Xel'lotath, God of Madness. Upon choosing one of the artifacts, Pious is transformed and corrupted into an undead abomination devoted to his chosen God. With his newly aquired dark powers, he sets out upon a 2000 year global conspiracy of madness, murder, and death in order to complete the Blasphemous rites that would allow his master to rule over the Earth, plunging the world into... ETERNAL DARKNESS.


Why Pious Augustus and Not Alex Rovias? Isn't she the star of the game?
"The Universe is a yawning chasm, filled with emptiness and the puerile meanderings of sentience. Why should you deserve special consideration within it, Augustus, above all else?"

If you were bringing in a character from Dracula would you bring in Dracula or Mina Murray? If you were bringing in a character from Nightmare on Elm Street, would you use Freddy or Nancy? Eternal Darkness is a horror series, best represented by it's villain and the horror's he can unleash, not the average girl that has to face off against it.
Alex isn't even the most interesting character you can control. You get to play as a Roman Centurion, a Cambodian slave girl, a courier for King Charlemagne who is slowly turning into a zombie, a Persian swordsman, a physician with a powdered wig who's slowly loosing his mind, a guy who's essentially Indiana Jones, a Franciscan Monk accused of murder, an architect from Renaissance Venice, a field reporter during World War I, a Psychologist studying the occult who has to face an invisible vampire in his home, a Gulf War fire fighter with a machine gun and .... Alex. A mostly generic college girl that vaguely resembles Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Pious is a Roman warrior with rotting skeletal features wearing a combination of robes and blackened Centurion armor making him look almost like Guillermo del Toro's redesign of Skeletor. He's one of the most disturbing, unsettling, skin crawling and just pure evil villains not only in any Nintendo title, but in all of gaming.

When you can have something that awesome, a girl in a tank top would just be a waste.


How would Pious Augustus fight?
"Make sure he is dead...or insane... Or perhaps one, then the other..."

As mentioned, Pious is (or was) a Centurion. When he was still human, he used a Gladius (a Roman sword). Upon his rebirth, he was shown to wield a long staff made of bone. For Smash he could use either or even switch between the two depending on the attacks. In addition, he's a master of forbidden magic.

He could be a heavy, magic wielding tank. Powerful ranged attacks, moderate damage short-ranged physical attacks with his staff/sword and long ranged smash attacks with his staff. Very low jump height, but can take a lot of damage.

For moves, he could teleport, summon various fiends to his aide, set up damage fields, dispell other attacks, and of course shoot blasts of pure occult energy.

As for a Final Smash, he could summon of of the Gods. Another idea is to have the scream flash with glitches and/or Nightmarish imagery as part of a "Sanity Effect", leaving the character damaged and stunned... perhaps even transformed.

What kind of Stage should Pious be fought on?

"Wherever disaster and death lurk, there is likely to be an Ancient just beyond our senses, waiting."
While there are plenty of equally horrifying settings in Eternal Darkness, my choice would be the Rovias Mansion where much of the game is set. It could be set up siliar to the Hyrule with the City city of Ekhn'gha on the lower part of the stage. Keeping with the Sanity Effects theme, sections of the mansion could warp, change,a nd even disappear at various points.

At some points, maybe even the entire stage itself could warp away and the players could find themselves in the Hall where the Tomb of Eternal Darkness is located.



What Music Should be Included?
"You forget what it means to be human Pious! The human race will never go quietly into the darkness,"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vAjT7qDGJQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CeoLK0hybs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN3q0eLktGk&feature=related
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma63YQg6xrA

What are Pious Augustus's chances of getting into Smash?
"Nothing short of a miracle will keep him alive, and there hasn’t been one of those for a long time."

Sadly, Pious's chances aren't that great. The game never got a sequel, didn't sell that well, and only got one Spirit in Smash. Of course that also means that Pious hasn't got a spirit in Smash yet.

If we want Pious in the game, it's our job to make some noise and let Nintendo know.


Okay, you say, That sounds good, and all, but I'm still not sure I want him in Smash.
"You had best leave, young fool! Or you will find yourself as food for the Dead God! "



Supporters...
"There was something more, like a hole being opened in my mind, disguising the thoughts there... I can almost see it... I have a strong ally, but where? I must look to the future. My work is not yet done... "

SvartWolf
Sabrewulf238
Dreamking
S SSBCandidates
Megadoomer
ninjahmos







Humanity has been on the edge of extinction for two millennia. Ignorant of so much, and dependent on so few. The guardians grow restless. Their time once again near.
The Darkness... The Darkness comes!! It WILL consume us all!!

 

[SvartWolf]

heh.. i remember fantazising a moveset for him and simon belmont back in brawl.

at least we got a cute ED spirit, in all honesty that was more that i was expecting DX

 

[Oddball]

heh.. i remember fantazising a moveset for him and simon belmont back in brawl.

at least we got a cute ED spirit, in all honesty that was more that i was expecting DX

Care to share your move set idea?

 

[SvartWolf]

Care to share your move set idea?

well, it was a loooong time ago (brawl sepculation era) so i barely remember anything about it. but mostly being a summoner archetype, fighting with his staff, Mostly a combination between big slow heavy magical staff attacks, and summoning specials using the magicks in order to control the battlefield and create openings for such attacks.

the most i remember was thinking of how cool would be to be able to put a barrier with down B and this was before pacman, or zelda's phantom...

I think that nowadays I would be more inclined to support alex than pious though.,... but considering that they fight using the same magicks, i think a good ammount of gimmicks and special moves one think for one would be useful for the other. And while i still want a full summoner character, sakurai have had plenty of oportunities to implement one, making me wonderin g if maybe the archetype doesn't work too well for smash? (making it either too degenerate gameplay or too usless) the closer we had have been rosa and olimar... and are 2 characters people love bicthing about XD.

That being said, some remixes and music from eternal Darkness would be AMAZING to get into smash .

 

[Sabrewulf238]

I'd definitely support him for Smash.

Even an assist trophy would be awesome.

 

[Dreamking]

Why have I not seen this topic before? Anyhow, a million times yes. I would really like Pious to be playable. That being said, let me share my thoughts.

Back in 2002, I was in college and was visiting a friend in their dorm room who was playing this game. Intrigued by the time period aspect of the game, I went in for a closer look. I’ve been a fan ever since and it introduced me to the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

Although Alex Roivas would make the most sense because each series that is represented in Smash has the main protagonist at the very least, Eternal Darkness could be the first instance where the playable character is the main antagonist.


***Series Symbol***
Mantorok rune


***Moves***
My idea for Pious’s moveset is that each special is associated with a particular alignment. Specials are powered through a magic meter like Hero’s but the meter is designed in the Eternal Darkness style.

Neutral Special: Magickal Attack – Blue aligned with Ulyaoth. Would work something like Pikachu’s Thunder Jolt Special, but faster. If more than one opponent are on the ground, it can pass through multiple opponent. Great range.

Up Special: Teleport – Yellow. It wasn’t a spell that could be used in the original game, but it was referred to a number of times. Would work like other Teleport moves. This one involves yellow rings. Think when Pious beams into the Forbidden City.

Side Special: Enchant Item – Red aligned with Chattur’gha. A buffing move for Pious. It would have a duration on par with other buffing moves. The spine staff glows red to indicate that the buff is in effect. Only his regular attacks are buffed.

Down Special: Shield - Purple aligned with Mantorok. Seven bits of light swirl around Pious. Unlike the game, he can’t move while it is in use. The bits represent the strength of the shield. Projectiles are nullified upon contact and if opponents try to attack physically, the opponent gets their health drained like the Flower.

Final Smash: Summon Ancient – Green aligned with Xel’lotath. Would be a cinematic move where Pious summons Xel’lotath who then looms over the opponents. The opponents go into their stun animations. Basically, they’ve lost their sanity. Xel then moves her four hands and unleashes a beam of green energy which comes down from the sky. Think the finishing attack she uses against Ulyaoth.


***On screen appearance***
He appears in his human centurion incarnation, groans as he transforms, and summons his spine staff. This refers to the end of Chaper 1 when an Ancient's artifact transforms him into a lich.


***Taunts***
Up: Pious stares forward and his eyes glow green. This is a reference to how the eyes of enemies glow green to lower sanity.

Side: He points and says “Face me and you shall surely perish!” What he says at the end of Chapter 1.

Down: Laughs. While he laughs plenty of times in the original game, my choice for this taunt is his laugh before he says “The end indeed” in the final battle


***Victory theme***
The first handful of notes from the music track “The Chosen”. This theme played during Chapter 1 where Pious was playable in human form.


***Victory***
Left: The camera looks up at him and he points downward saying, “Fool! I spit at thee”. This is based on part of the dialogue from the bad ending.

Up: “The Darkness shall be eternal!” Staff and hand raise high and energy crackles around him. This is based on the other part of the bad ending’s dialogue.

Right: “Succumb to the horrors of oblivion!” He reaches out with his hand which glows. He closes his fist and brings his hand close to his body. Based on the end of Chapter 2 where he finishes off that chapter’s protagonist, Ellia.


***Stats***
Overall, I see him being similar to Ganondorf in the speed and jump status. Similar in physical attack strength, but with a range slightly better because of his staff.


***Palette swaps***
I was thinking of keeping it simple. Red plumes and robe for default. His alts have different colors in place of the red.

 

[Oddball]

***Palette swaps***
I was thinking of keeping it simple. Red plumes and robe for default. His alts have different colors in place of the red.

Yeah, Pious is a character that doesn't lend himself well to character references. I'd probabaly stick with just giving him one color for each of the main runes and keep him with a darker color scheme.

I might be tempted to give him a Skeletor reference color set though.

Dreamking, mind if I add you move set to the opening post?

One problem I did have making this thread that I hope somebody might be able to help me with is that there are really no good full body shots of him on the web (that I could find.) I don't think anybody has tried ripping his model yet or anything. If anybody reading this is interested, let me know.

 

[Dreamking]

Yeah, Pious is a character that doesn't lend himself well to character references. I'd probabaly stick with just giving him one color for each of the main runes and keep him with a darker color scheme.

I might be tempted to give him a Skeletor reference color set though.

Dreamking, mind if I add you move set to the opening post?

Sure. No problem. I believe this is the first time I've posted a moveset profile on SmashBoards. I don't create a full moveset including physical attacks and damage output. I just stick with specials, taunts, victories, and series symbol.

I'm currently brainstorming a stage for him as writing a possible trailer.

I wish I was good at drawing and animating.

 

[Morgana J. Cat]

The character seems cool and unique, I guess. (but maybe a little too “nightmarish”)
Although I never played Eternal Darkness in my life, so I’m not really that interested.

Anyway the first M-rated game published by Nintendo was actually Perfect Dark for the n64.

 

[Oddball]

Anyway the first M-rated game published by Nintendo was actually Perfect Dark for the n64.

Perfect Dark was released first, but it wasn't released BY Nintendo. It was actually published by Rare. Eternal Darkness was the first mature game that Nintendo themselves published.

 

[Morgana J. Cat]

Perfect Dark was released first, but it wasn't released BY Nintendo. It was actually published by Rare. Eternal Darkness was the first mature game that Nintendo themselves published.

Huh, guess you just can't trust the Internet these days. Well then, it's interesting that they had a Perfect Dark trophy set for Melee, even tho Nintendo didn't publish it.

Anyway, from what I've seen, I can definitely say that I'd be much more interested in having a stage based on Eternal Darkness, specially with the infamous sanity effects as stage hazards.
The only macabre stage in Smash, so far, is the "Gamer" one, from Game and Wario, but of course I imagine this one would be a true nightmare since it's representing an M-rated horror game.

 

[Oddball]

Anyway, from what I've seen, I can definitely say that I'd be much more interested in having a stage based on Eternal Darkness, specially with the infamous sanity effects as stage hazards.
The only macabre stage in Smash, so far, is the "Gamer" one, from Game and Wario, but of course I imagine this one would be a true nightmare since it's representing an M-rated horror game.

Well, of course if you have the character in, he's going to get a stage.

I agree that a stage with "sanity effects" could be quite the nightmare (and also awesome). Having a nightmareish opponent to fight in a nightmare level would make it even better.

For a trailer, I was thinking something along these lines.

Start with a few different characters and and cut back between them exploring spooky places. I'd say Marth, Young Link, Zero Suit Samus, and Snake. You'd want character from vastly different looking times. As they explore, statues turn to look at them, painting change, door disappear, thing like that.

Then each one is suddenly overcome by some nightmarish image (jump scare time). They manage to get control again and then out of nowhere, Pious Agustus attacks. He gets several hits on them, cutting back and forth between each before another big nightmare image. Then they're all standing in the same place before him.

*game footage goes here*

Back to cinema.

The heroes are shaking, barely able to stand and Pious completles some kind of summoning spell. You can see what looks like Dharkon start to appear behind him and he laughs.

Cut to glitchy distorted Smash Bros X Eternal Darkness logo.

 

[Morgana J. Cat]

Well, of course if you have the character in, he's going to get a stage.

I agree that a stage with "sanity effects" could be quite the nightmare (and also awesome). Having a nightmareish opponent to fight in a nightmare level would make it even better.

For a trailer, I was thinking something along these lines.

Start with a few different characters and and cut back between them exploring spooky places. I'd say Marth, Young Link, Zero Suit Samus, and Snake. You'd want character from vastly different looking times. As they explore, statues turn to look at them, painting change, door disappear, thing like that.

Then each one is suddenly overcome by some nightmarish image (jump scare time). They manage to get control again and then out of nowhere, Pious Agustus attacks. He gets several hits on them, cutting back and forth between each before another big nightmare image. Then they're all standing in the same place before him.

*game footage goes here*

Back to cinema.

The heroes are shaking, barely able to stand and Pious completles some kind of summoning spell. You can see what looks like Dharkon start to appear behind him and he laughs.

Cut to glitchy distorted Smash Bros X Eternal Darkness logo.

I mean, there's the Balloon Fight stage and no Balloon Fighter on the roster, but yeah I guess having both would be more fun. I'm just saying that I personally would be more interested on a stage based on the game, mostly because of the potential sanity effects as stage hazards.
Based on what I saw on Youtube, I was thinking that throughout the stage, they could play with the player's mind by having a fake volume meter getting lower (thus making the game compeletely silent for a short period of time); random images appearing on the screen; every fighter turning into Pious (maybe); and last but certainly not least, having a fake warning that the Switch controller (or the console) is about to run out of power (inspired by the horrifying part where they make you think all the data in your GC memory card has been deleted).

Not only would it accurately represent Eternal Darkness, but also it would originate one of the most unique stages Smash has ever had (and to my memory, Sakurai said it's important if a stage has potential too, not just the character that comes with it).

Also nice, great sense of imagination there! Gotta say tho, I just think that a jump scare would be a little too extreme for a Smash reveal trailer, besides that, yeah I dig your idea.

 

[ninjahmos]

Eh, why not? Count me in.
On an unrelated note, I think Nintendo should make a remake of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, AND a sequel, with either Retro Studios or Next Level Games, since Silicon Knights went under. I think a BIG franchise could be made out of both games.

 

[Sabrewulf238]

The character seems cool and unique, I guess. (but maybe a little too “nightmarish”)
Although I never played Eternal Darkness in my life, so I’m not really that interested.

Anyway the first M-rated game published by Nintendo was actually Perfect Dark for the n64.

Personally I feel like the "nightmarish" element is part of the appeal. We don't have a character on the roster representing the horror genre.....and if we did get one I'd much rather it was a "monster" rather than just "some generic person with a flashlight".

I feel like a big part of Smash Bros appeal is also taking very different characters with widely different vibes and pushing them together. So in that sense I think a character like Pious Augustus would fit in perfectly.

 

[Oddball]

Personally I feel like the "nightmarish" element is part of the appeal. We don't have a character on the roster representing the horror genre.....and if we did get one I'd much rather it was a "monster" rather than just "some generic person with a flashlight".

I feel like a big part of Smash Bros appeal is also taking very different characters with widely different vibes and pushing them together. So in that sense I think a character like Pious Augustus would fit in perfectly.

Exactly. If nothing else, the contrast between him and characters like Isabelle and Kirby would be quite interesting.

(Kirby hat for Pious woudl be his Centurion helmet.)

 

[Megadoomer]

I'd like to support the character. I played through Eternal Darkness a few years ago, and it was very different from what I'm used to for a Nintendo game, along with being one of the few/only pure horror games that I'm willing to play through. (I'm not counting games like Resident Evil 4 or Dead By Daylight as pure horror, since RE4's more of an action game, while DBD's an asymmetric multiplayer game where I prefer to play as the killer)

I'd be fine with seeing either him or Alexandra Roivas, and given that their magic would be so similar (since it comes from the same source), I could try typing up a moveset for him at some point. (though I'd probably have to replay Eternal Darkness first - I have one more playthrough to go until I get the full ending)

 

[SSBCandidates]

Count me in please.

 

[Oddball]

Eh, why not? Count me in.
On an unrelated note, I think Nintendo should make a remake of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, AND a sequel, with either Retro Studios or Next Level Games, since Silicon Knights went under. I think a BIG franchise could be made out of both games.

An Eternal Darkness with modern level graphics... that would be pure nighmarish.

I love it!

I'd like to support the character. I played through Eternal Darkness a few years ago, and it was very different from what I'm used to for a Nintendo game, along with being one of the few/only pure horror games that I'm willing to play through. (I'm not counting games like Resident Evil 4 or Dead By Daylight as pure horror, since RE4's more of an action game, while DBD's an asymmetric multiplayer game where I prefer to play as the killer)

I'd be fine with seeing either him or Alexandra Roivas, and given that their magic would be so similar (since it comes from the same source), I could try typing up a moveset for him at some point. (though I'd probably have to replay Eternal Darkness first - I have one more playthrough to go until I get the full ending)

I could see Alex and Pious work as echos of each other. Let Alex be the weak past one and Pious be the storng heavy, give them different colors for their magic effects... it could work.

Count me in please.

You are in! May the Darkness consume your soul! ... wait... no... that doesn't sound very welcoming, does it?

 

[ninjahmos]

Eh, why not? Count me in.
On an unrelated note, I think Nintendo should make a remake of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, AND a sequel, with either Retro Studios or Next Level Games, since Silicon Knights went under. I think a BIG franchise could be made out of both games.

Then again, Nintendo could co-develop both games with both Retro Studios AND Next Level Games.

 

[Oddball]

Then again, Nintendo could co-develop both games with both Retro Studios AND Next Level Games.

I do remember a few years back there was either a spiritual sequel in the works, but the project fell through.

Shame.

I found some cool images where somebody recreated the guy in Soul Calibur.

 

[Megadoomer]

I wrote up a move-list for Alexandra Roivas; I think it should be able to work for Pious for the most part (though it would depend on whether he'd use the Gladius that he used in the opening, or his spine staff that he uses as a lich), although he wouldn't use the guns or the pick-axe, and his enchantment and Final Smash would have to change. (not sure if the Ancient affiliated with him would be random, or based on his costume)

At any rate, I also have a stage idea in here, We don't have a thread for Alexandra Roivas, and I don't know if I should make one considering that discussion would be limited to say the least, but I figured I'd be able to post it here.

Spoiler

Alexandra Lights up the Darkness!

Her first palette swap would be her outfit from the early versions of the game, giving her a red tank top. Other palettes would make her tank top dark blue, dark green, dark purple, or a dull yellow to represent the various gods (or the colour used for unaligned runes, which is supposedly related to an unnamed Ancient). One outfit makes her outfit white and bright yellow, to reference Clara from the cancelled Shadow of the Eternals, and her last two outfits reference her family members – one reverses the outfit’s colours while making her hair brown to reference Edward, while another gives her a pale green shirt and black pants while changing her hair white to reference Maximilian.

For a series logo, quite a few runes could possibly work, but I think I’ll go with the Mantorok rune, given Mantorok’s prominence in the story no matter which route you take. I debated including the Pargon (Power) rune instead.

I’ve already described my stage idea elsewhere, so I’ll paste that here. “Another stage that would be great, even if it would be terrible from a competitive standpoint, is the ancient city of Ehn'gha from Eternal Darkness. […] Prolonged exposure to the creatures of this place, like Zombies and Horrors, drains one's sanity, resulting in your understanding of reality becoming warped and twisted. Your percentage meter seems to jump to 999.9% for no apparent reason, your character turns into a Goomba, a notification appears on-screen to say that your controller's become unplugged, a progress bar appears on-screen to show that your Switch's save data is being erased... These would mostly be cosmetic, but I'd love to see what the development team could do with the game's sanity […] Those creatures could appear in the stage, resulting in different levels of sanity effects as indicated by a green bar somewhere on the stage. A zombie decreases the bar by 25%, though it goes back to zero if the zombie is beaten or disappears after a while. A Bonethief decreases the bar by 50%, a Horror decreases it by 75%, and on very rare occasions, two of the Ancients (Ulyaoth, Xel'lotath, or Chattur'gha) will appear in the background and start fighting, completely emptying the bar while they're present and causing the most severe hallucinations.”

Alexandra appears on stage as though she was warped there by a trapper, with red circles appearing on the ground and rising up into the air before she fades into view. For her idle animations, she looks behind her as if expecting that something might attack, or she examines the Enchanted Gladius to make sure it’s not damaged or chipped.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alexandra is going to use the weapons that are available to her in Eternal Darkness – the Enchanted Gladius, the revolver, the Winchester shotgun, and the pickaxe. If need be, the guns can be automatically enchanted to make them more supernatural in appearance and ability. I’m thinking that any enchantments will use the Mantorok rune (making them glow purple) for a more “neutral” option. She’s only holding the Enchanted Gladius most of the time, and she pulls out the other weapons as she needs them.

A-->AA-->AAA: two swings aimed at the opponent’s arms (if they’re humanoid), followed by a stab.

Forward A: Alex swings the Enchanted Gladius overhead, as if she’s going for a head strike.

Up A: Alex holds up the Gladius, and magickal energy sparks off of it.

Down A: pulling out the pistol, Alex aims it while crouching; the (enchanted?) bullet doesn’t go very far.

Forward Smash: Alex throws the Enchanted Gladius, which flies back the way it came and into her hand.

Up Smash: Alex holds up her sword, letting go as it spins in a circle in the air like a saw before flying back to her hand.

Down Smash: Alex leans back with the pickaxe before swinging it with great force. Unlike a lot of down smash attacks, this is mainly good for hitting in front of her – it can hit behind her if the opponent is standing really close at the start of the swing, but that’s much harder to do

Neutral Air: this is where it gets more difficult, considering that Eternal Darkness has no air combat whatsoever. Alex lets go of the Enchanted Gladius, which spins around her in a circle before returning to her hand.

Forward Air: Alex fires her shotgun forward.

Back Air: Alex stabs her sword behind herself.

Up Air: Alex stabs the Enchanted Gladius upwards.

Down Air: pointing the (enchanted?) shotgun straight down, Alex fires, shooting out three spreading projectiles (one straight down, the other two at slight angles)

Dash Attack: Alexandra skids to a stop, firing her shotgun

Wake-Up Attack: magickal energy sparks off of the Gladius, bouncing around Alex as she gets back to her feet.

Climb Attack: Alex kicks out after climbing up, as though she’s trying to trip the opponent.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grab: she grabs the opponent with her left hand

Pummel: Alex hits the opponent with the hilt of the sword

Forward Throw: she shoulder-checks the opponent, knocking them away.

Back Throw: she steps by the opponent and shoves them away.

Up Throw: purple electricity bursts out of the ground in front of Alexandra, launching the opponent into the air.

Down Throw: Alex stabs her sword into the grounded opponent, similar to how she kills Pious. When she pulls it out, it’s with enough force to knock the opponent away.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Up Taunt: Alex holds a hand to her head, trying to regain her senses. “This can’t be…”

Side Taunt: Alex points her sword straight ahead at the opponent. “Back to the darkness with you!”

Down Taunt: Alex swings her sword downwards, looking around and muttering “I expected worse…”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B: Magickal Attack – the necessary runes appear around Alex, and this can be held to be charged, allowing for the lightning spell to bounce to one or two opponents (or, if there are fewer enemies than that nearby, hit them more times). This can either go to the default three point spell, a five point spell, or up to a seven point spell, though if the fourth or sixth rune appears, you’ll have to wait for the seventh. This move is powerful, but slow – the magic system in Eternal Darkness was not known for its speed.

Up B: Summon Trapper – this one uses the Chattur’gha rune, much like her stage appearance, since Mantorok runes can’t be used for summons. It takes three runes to summon it, so it’s more time-consuming than other teleports, but the teleport sends you quite a large distance away to make up for it. Much like other teleports, it can be controlled to some extent.

Side B: Damage Field – much like Magickal Attack, this defaults to three runes, though it can be boosted to five or seven by holding the B button. Once released, a purple barrier in the shape of a triangular, pentagonal, or heptagonal prism appears in front of Alex, damaging the opponent(s) unfortunate enough to run into it. This can also be used to trap opponents or block their progress, as the barrier’s height increases slightly the more that it’s charged up. However, it’s wider than it is in the source material to allow more leeway for movement, and as it does not have a “roof”, it can be jumped out of. It stays out for a decent amount of time, though it doesn’t block projectiles, and only one can be summoned at once.

Down B: Summon – this spell defaults to five runes, though it can be charged up to seven, meaning that it’s the slowest of her special moves by default. This either summons an Ulyaoth Zombie or an Ulyaoth Horror, which roam around for a bit on their own in the general direction of the opponent and attacking if they get close. Being near the Horror causes a slight poison effect, as if they’re chipping away at your sanity just by being nearby, and it hits much harder than the zombie. However, Alex can only summon one of these at once – trying to use the spell while either summon is out causes the spell to fizzle right away. (I’m assuming that the Switch, or any future system, can handle something like this – correct me if I’m wrong)

Final Smash: Alexandra clutches her head and screams as the Tome of Eternal Darkness flips open and a nine-point summoning spell begins. The sky cracks open, splitting into a portal, and Mantorok, or rather his tentacles, comes through the portal – he’s still sealed away in the tomb, so the most he can do is reach through the portal for some snacks/offerings. The tentacles gradually damage any enemies caught in them, pulling them closer to the portal. If the opponent comes in contact with the portal, whether it’s because the tentacles drag them in or because they come too close, they die (though the tentacles drag you back rather slowly, and you’d have to be really unfortunate to happen to be right where the portal is when it opens). Eventually, Alex regains her senses and yells “This… can’t… be happening!” and slams the tome shut, closing the portal and ending the Final Smash. It lasts about as long as Rosalina’s.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For one victory pose, Alex looks around, muttering to herself – “I have a strong ally… but where?” This references the second ending of the game, and arguably, the player. As another victory pose, she looks through the Tome of Eternal Darkness before slamming it shut. For the third victory pose, a zombie and horror have surrounded her, but she uses a Magickal Attack to destroy them both.

For the victory theme, there’s a bit where the game plays a piano melody which seems like it would work.

For Kirby’s hat, I feel like a blonde ponytail is too similar to Zero Suit Samus’s Kirby hat, so instead, I’m going to go with Kirby wearing a copy of the Tome of Eternal Darkness on his head. It wouldn’t be the first time that Kirby wore a part of an otherworldly monstrosity as a piece of clothing. If he copies this, he can use Magickal Attack, and the copy of the Tome of Eternal Darkness glows when he uses it.

The only things that would definitely need to change if this was Pious would be the down A, down Smash, forward air, down air, dash attack, palette swaps, taunts, victory poses, and Final Smash - an overwhelming majority of it could be pretty similar. Kirby's hat might also change, though I find my current idea to be kind of funny.

 

[Oddball]

For the most part, I think a lot of that would work for Pious. I can easily see Alex and Pious working as echos (or semi echoes or whatever classification you want to give two characters that are close but not exactly the same.)

 

[Oddball]

I found a moveset on deviant art somebody made. It doesn't feel like it was made with Smash in mind, but it's still worth sharing.

https://www.deviantart.com/ask-theangelofsouls/art/Horror-Brawl-Request-561-Pious-Augustus-673380955

Spoiler: if you don't feel like clicking the link

Name: Pious Augustus

Debut: Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (2002)

Voice Actor: Richard Doyle

Intro: A circle with arcane symbols around it forms on the floor and Pious teleports to the battlefield. He retrieves his staff and says, "Face me and you shall surely perish!"

Outro: Pious says, "Your death is only just the beginning.", and he raises both his staff and his left arm up as arcane symbols circling around him glow on the ground and behind him comes an oval-shaped cyan-colored fire gate. The fire gate opens up an eye (presumably Xel'lotath's) that stares everywhere.

Special Moves

Eldrich Snake: Pious thrusts his staff onto the ground, creating a jagged green glowing line on the floor that hits his opponent when touched.

Spectral Piller: Pious raises his staff and a green pillar rises from under his opponent, hitting him/her.

Ancient Power: Pious shoots an electric sphere from his left hand at his opponent, shocking him/her.

Pilum Toss: Pious tosses a pilum with a demonic tip at the opponent

Hellraiser

Ancient Punisher: Pious rams his hand onto his opponent's chest. He breaks through the sternum and squeezes the stomach. The hand emits a magical explosion that causes not only the spine to blow up but also the skeletal system to shatter. He then laughs and tosses them off

Final Sequences

Dying Darkness: Pious brings in zombies of different kinds: Ulyaoth zombies, Xel'lotath zombies and Chattur'gha zombies. However, as the zombies from different alignments reach his opponent, they all fight over him/her and as they do, they end up tearing the opponent apart.

Loosing Your Mind: Pious pricks the tip of his staff on his opponent's head, followed by a spark of green energy that goes into their head. The opponent then starts going insane before quivering on the ground and exploding into a mess of blood and gore.

Heartwarmer: Pious summons a bunch of Mantorok zombies from the ground and they all surround Pious and his opponent. They start dancing to the "Spooky Scary Skeletons" remix by The Living Tombstone. Both Pious and his opponent dance along.

Ending: Pious Augustus offered Darkness' heart to his Ancient after other warriors of both different universes defeated him in battle. Pious wants turmoil in his universe with the offering for his Ancient. This led to the resurrection of Ganondorf, who has tried to rule Hyrule for generations. While many believe things to be peaceful after the invasion of Darkness was over, Ganondorf would bring the land of Hyrule to its knees once more.

Another moveset from a hypothetical Marvel vs Nintendo game

https://www.deviantart.com/defenderoftheflowers/art/Marvel-vs-Nintendo-Pious-Augustus-745090735

Spoiler: the moves

Name: Pious Augustus
Gender: Male
Place of Origin: Italy
Eyes: White
Hair: None
Debut: Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (2002)
Voice Actor: Richard Doyle

Bio:
Pious Augustus was a Roman Centurion from ancient times. He was tasked with a mission by his emperor to locate a mystical artifact. The artifact was found in the Forbidden City, where the eldritch magic corrupted Pious and transformed him into an evil Liche. He swore a pact to one of the three Ancients and spent centuries throughout history achieving a way of summoning his Ancient to the human world.

BASIC INFO:

Intro: Pious steps out of a portal, holding his staff in one hand.
Outro: Pious raises his staff and his left arm up as arcane symbols circling around him glow on the ground and behind him comes an oval-shaped cyan-colored fire gate. The fire gate opens up an eye that stares everywhere.
Taunt: Pious outstretches his arms and glows with magic as he says, “Fool!”
Standard Costumes:
-Classic Costume 1: His usual design.
Cosplay Costumes:
-Cosplay Costume 1: The Horned King from The Black Cauldron.

COMMAND LIST:

Basic Attacks:

[Standing]
Light Attack – Pious jabs the opponent with his staff.
Medium Attack – Pious swings his staff forward.
Heavy Attack – Pious whacks his staff on the ground.
Launcher – Pious swings his staff upward.

[Crouching]
Light Attack – Pious kicks the opponent.
Medium Attack – Pious swings his staff in a sweeping arc.
Heavy Attack – Pious smashes his staff into the ground, with magic effects appearing from the bottom when it makes contact with the ground.

[Air]
Light Attack – Pious swings his staff forward.
Medium Attack – Pious thrusts his staff above his head.
Heavy Attack – Pious plunges his staff downwards.

Special Attacks:

Staff Shot (Down-Forward-Attack): Pious charges up magic in his staff, then shoots it downward in the form of a beam, with the tip of the beam doing the most damage and knock back and creating a little pillar of magic.

Light: Charges faster, but does less damage.
Heavy: Charges slower, but does more damage.

Staff Quake (Down-Back-Attack): Pious thrusts his staff onto the ground, creating a jagged green glowing line on the floor that hits his opponent when touched.

Ancient Sphere (HCB-Attack): Pious shoots an electric sphere from his left hand at his opponent, shocking him/her.

Eldritch Lightning (Forward-Down-Forward-Attack): Pious raises his staff, causing lightning to strike at his opponent.

Ghastly Pillar (Back-Down-Back-Attack): Pious raises his staff and a green pillar rises from under his opponent, hitting him/her.

Hyper Combos:

Dying Darkness (Down-Forward-Attack X2): Pious brings in zombies of different kinds: Ulyaoth zombies, Xel'lotath zombies, and Chattur'gha zombies. However, as the zombies from different alignments reach his opponent, they all fight over him/her and as they do until they disappear.

Mantorok (Forward-Down-Forward-Attack X2): Pious grabs the opponent’s face. Suddenly, Mantorok shows up and Pious throws the opponent into its mouth. As the opponent struggles to free himself/herself, Mantorok chews on him/her until it spews him/her out of its mouth.

Quotes:

Intro Quotes:
-“Face me, and you shall surely perish!”
-“You shall succumb to the horrors!”
-“Fear my wrath!”
-“Ah, Ms. Roivas! You’re just in time.” (vs. Alexandra Roivas)
-“I hear the Dead God eats children like you for breakfast.” (vs. Ness/Villager/Ice Climbers/Toad)
-“The Darkness shall be Eternal!” (vs. heroes except Alexandra Roivas, Ness, Villager, Ice Climbers, Toad, Blade and Ghost Rider)
-“You will soon be food for the Dead God, Brooks!” (vs. Blade)
-“Soon, you will bow to your master, Blaze!” (vs. Ghost Rider)
-“I am more wicked than you, demon!” (vs. Blackheart)
-“So you still miss Wanda, don’t you?” (vs. Spawn)
-“The Darkness shall consume you!” (vs. Giygas)

Outro Quotes:
-“Your death is just the beginning!”
-“You are as good as dead…”
-“HAHAHAHAHA! The end, indeed!”
-“You have failed, Ms. Roivas.” (vs. Alexandra Roivas)
-“HAHAHAHAHA! Foolish child!” (vs. Ness/Villager/Ice Climbers/Toad)
-“You stood no chance against me, vampire hunter!” (vs. Blade)
-“Nothing can stop the Darkness, not even a Spirit of Vengeance!” (vs. Ghost Rider)
-“Even your so-called dark powers failed to stop me, Blackheart!” (vs. Blackheart)

Post-Match Victory Text:
-“The power of Mantorok is not easily controlled.”
-“I am your master! That, and nothing more.”
-“You will now have the honor of becoming the first morsel for my lord, Chattur'gha! An appetizer for the banquet your race shall provide.”
-“You're a university student, Ms. Roivas - not a warrior. In that regard, I have several centuries more experience than you.” (vs. Alexandra Roivas)
-“You had best leave, young fool! Or you will find yourself as food for the Dead God!” (vs. Ness/Villager/Ice Climbers/Toad)
-“How the mighty have fallen. The Mantorok will soon feast on you. A slow torturous fate, for thee…” (vs. Ghost Rider)

In-Battle Quotes:
-“I spit at thee!”
-“Suffer!”
-“It will soon be over!”
-“Of course.”
-“The end!”
-“Die!”
-“Make that morsel suffer!”
-“Mantorok!”
-“Kill him/her!”
-“RAAAAHHHHHH!” (Defeat cry)
-“This…can’t be…happening.” (Defeat by a light attack)

Tag-ins:
Alexandra Roivas: “Ms. Roivas!”

Kirby Hat: Pious Augustus’ helmet

Theme: Gateway to Destiny – Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma63YQ…

Ending:

(Pious Augustus is seen in the alternate universe. There, he meets Surtur, who is known as the Lord of Muspelheim and King of the Fire Giants.)

Surtur: “So I hear you intend to plunge the world into Darkness.”

Pious Augustus: “Precisely, your majesty.”

Surtur: “Then I know what to do to fulfill your wish…”

(Much later, they both spread Darkness throughout both universes, causing a panic.)

Pious Augustus: “The Darkness shall be eternal!”
Onto the Nintendo side, we have the corrupted Roman Centurion and the main antagonist of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. Pious Augustus!

Notes and Trivia:

• Pious Augustus' rival is Ghost Rider. I guess it could be due to the face that both have skull faces, although Ghost Rider quite literally has a skull for a head. The only difference is both characters have opposite alignments (Pious Augustus is evil, while Ghost Rider is good/neutral.)
• He is the first character in Marvel vs. Nintendo to not have a premium costume.
• Surtur makes a cameo in Pious Augustus's ending.

and here's the two cutest Pious Augustuses ever!

 

[Oddball]

If any of you pay attention to the Global Smash Roster site, Pious currently sits at 138 votes.

I added him myself .

Global Smash Roster

www.globalsmashroster.com