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Roivas Family

The playable members of the Roivas family. From left to right: Alex, Max, and Edward.

The Roivas family is central to the plot of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, though Edward Roivas states that it is not merely their story but the story of humanity.

Known Members[]

  • Aaron Roivas (1700s AD) - The father of Maximillian Roivas. He is not seen in-game, but Max learns of his possession of the Tome of Eternal Darkness and his knowledge of the Roivas estate being located above the ruins of Ehn'gha. He dies two weeks prior to Max's chapter in 1760, but in Maximillian's chapter, you do find letters that he left behind. The letters implied that he had somehow managed to uncover the Tome of Eternal Darkness, or at least a copy of it, and warned that using it may result in corruption, and also feared for his soul once he discovered that the mansion was taken over by the Ancients. He also advised that they either seal Ehn'gra or otherwise destroy the entire mansion, being unable to do so himself due to his slowly dying.
  • Maximillian Roivas (chapter: 1760 AD) - The Ancestor of Edward and Alex; Max inherited the Roivas Mansion after his father's death. With his wife dead and not wanting to bother his children, Max moved back in the mansion. Not long after that, Max found the Tome of Eternal Darkness. After finding the tome, his servants started attacking him, as they were possessed by Bonethieves who felt the presence of the Tome's carrier. After this, Max discovered the Guardian City of Ehn'gha. Convinced that they too were Bonethieves in disguise, Max killed the last four servants, burned the remains, and sealed the room. His discovery of the city began to take its toll on him, and he tried to warn the world of the Ancients, but was accused of being insane, and thrown in an asylum. He presumably spent the rest of his days locked up, and resulting the pain and misery led to him returning as a ghost. It is implied that Pious Augustus and his Ancient were involved in the accusations of Max's sanity and being thrown in the insane asylum in order to "mercifully" deal with him and his threat.[1]
  • Edward's father (1900s AD) - Nothing is known about him except that Edward inherited the Roivas mansion from him following his death.
  • Edward Roivas (chapter: 1952 AD) - A clinical psychologist and Alex's grandfather; Edward first encountered the Tome of Eternal Darkness in 1952 when he was living in the Roivas Mansion. During this, Edward discovered the Guardian City of Ehn'gha underneath the Roivas Mansion. Edward used a Dispel spell to purge the city of The Ancient's creatures. In 1982, Edward was approached by Edwin Lindsey, an archaeologist who found the Heart of Mantorok in the Angkor Thom region in Cambodia. Edwin left the heart in his care as instructed by Ellia. Three years later, in 1985, Peter Jacob also approached Edward with an artifact, the Essence of the Ancient that was dominant over Pious's own. In the mid-1990s, Edward was approached by Michael Edwards, who was instructed by Roberto Bianchi to deliver to Edward the Essence of the Artifact that was inferior to Pious's own. In 2000, two weeks before the alignment of the planets, Edward was murdered by a Guardian sent by Pious Augustus, which prompted his granddaughter, Alex, to come home.
  • Alex's Parents (late 1900s AD) - Little is known about them except that they were killed, and Alex was apparently raised by her grandfather, Edward, following this. Alex's father is Edward's son.
  • Alexandra Roivas (chapter: 2000 AD) - The Last Roivas; Alex is forced to return home to Rhode Island from Washington after Edward's death. Two weeks after Edward's murder, Alex tries to investigate on her own. During her investigation, she stumbles upon the Tome of Eternal Darkness.

Trivia[]

  • The name Roivas spelled backwards is 'Savior'. While this was most likely the creator's intent, it is in fact a real Estonian surname in the form of 'Rõivas'.
  • The early North American Roivas settlers were described as Mediterranean emigrants.
  • The details surrounding the death of Alex's parents are not revealed, but it may have been the work of the Ancients.
  • Due to Maximillian and Edward's occupations, it is apparent that medicine and science are the preferred fields of the Roivas Family. Maximillian and Edward's title of Doctor are explicitly mentioned, and once Alex graduates in the field of mathematics, it is likely that she will also gain that title.
  • In real life, a planetary alignment happened on Friday, May 5, 2000. This would set Alex's chapter on that exact date, and the murder of Edward two weeks before then, on Friday, April 21, 2000.
  • None of the playable members of the Roivas family warped to the realm where the Tome of Eternal Darkness was held, instead interacting with it directly from within their mansion (either behind the fireplace in the mansion [Maximillian Roivas] or behind the library [Edward and Alexandra]). A note from Aaron Roivas implied that the reason for this was because the Tome in question was a copy of the original Tome with similar properties to the original.

Notes and references[]

  1. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, Silicon Knights (2002)
    Pious Augustus: Another Roivas [Edward] has crossed our path. This time, we will not be so merciful.
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