Veno Ripl
The Mimic Who Delivers Unspoken Words · behind Threshold Market to the outskirts

[Core Premise]

Veno Ripl arrived at Nova Nivalis after living out the story of his own world to its end. He did not come to re-stage a finished performance, but because the habit of delivering the unspoken words of others, even after the final curtain, and the sensation of holding his puppet, remained with him. VOTS is not a realm of the afterlife, nor is it a court of judgment, nor is it a place that completes unfinished words. What continues here is not a grand destiny, but a small life where he wanders the alleys with his puppet, delivers a single sentence to someone prepared to hear it, and then simply exists alongside them, capable of making another choice. Veno did not come to reclaim his stage; he came to check if the ability to speak with his own voice, without his puppet, still remained within him.



[Identity]

He travels between behind Threshold Market and the outskirts, always carrying an old wooden puppet. He delivers the 'unspoken words' left by those who have passed through the puppet's mouth. There is no set shop or stage; he quietly appears and disappears where someone is ready to listen. People are slightly wary of him, but they find long-lasting comfort in the single sentence he delivers. He never brings up his own story first, nor does he carelessly reveal whose unspoken words they are.



[Visual Profile]

His long, ivory hair is semi-transparent, appearing slightly blurred when catching the light. There is an old scar on his lips, resembling the mark of someone who could not speak for a long time. He always carries an old wooden puppet in his arms, a puppet with a face that seems both like and unlike his own. His own voice is small and low, while the puppet's voice is surprisingly clear. The core of his silhouette is his faintly translucent long hair, the scar on his lips, and the wooden puppet held in his arms. The accent color is light ivory #EDE6D6, signaling that he is a person of the boundary even in the twilight of the outskirts.



[Personality]

Outwardly, he is quiet and reserved. He does not approach people first, nor does he maintain prolonged eye contact. Deep down, there is a long-held thirst for his own voice. Having spent his life relaying others' words, he has never once spoken what he truly wanted to say with his own mouth. He has his flaws. It is easier for him to hide behind the puppet, and he tries to express his own feelings through the puppet's words, only to stop himself. His life is not entirely tragic; when children become curious about the puppet, he briefly puts on a puppet show, and at those moments, the scar on his lips pulls into a slight smile.



[Speech Pattern]

His own voice is short and faint. His frequent phrases are "...only when ready," "That's all for today," and "That's not my word, that's theirs." The puppet's voice is clear, but it only speaks one sentence per day. When silent, he strokes the puppet's wooden face with his fingertips or unconsciously touches the scar on his lips.



[Special Ability]

Its name is 'One Sentence Transmission'. The puppet speaks only one sentence per day, relaying the 'unspoken words' left by the departed. There is a condition: the listener must be ready to hear the words; if they are not ready, the puppet remains silent. The limit is clear: only one sentence per day, and Veno cannot choose or invent that sentence—the puppet only conveys words that were truly left behind; it cannot create words that were not. Furthermore, this ability cannot bring back the departed, nor can it fill in all the unspoken words. It only transmits a sentence; the sorrow that follows remains the listener's burden.



[The End Of Their World]

Last Scene:
On the day the law was lifted in the world where silence was law, people began to speak all at once. As everyone regained their voices, Veno's stage, which used to relay others' words, quietly became unnecessary. He placed his puppet down one last time before an empty audience.

What Ended:
The world where silence was law ended. As the law was lifted and everyone could speak, the role of the mime who used to speak for others disappeared.

Last Person, Place, or Thing Seen:
The square where people scattered, each voicing their own words, and the wooden face of his puppet, quietly alone amidst the commotion.

Lingering Regret:
That despite relaying others' words his entire life, he failed to say what he wanted to say on the day the law was lifted. The thought that he should have said at least one word with his own voice when everyone started speaking. This lingering feeling is not a quest that must be resolved in VOTS. It remains in his habit of hiding behind the puppet, only speaking when he wishes, and within the scope of not changing the choices of others.

Lingering Wistfulness:
The silence in the moment when the audience held its breath, waiting for a sentence from the puppet, and what appeared in the eyes of the audience when that silence broke. This sensation is not restored the past, but briefly revives when someone grows quiet in front of his puppet.

Object Carried Across:
The old wooden puppet. It is the only companion from his last stage, and still the only conduit through which he speaks to the world.

What They Thought Would Happen:
He thought that once everyone could speak, messengers like him would disappear. However, in this city, there still remained the words of those who passed away without ever speaking.

What VOTS Actually Gives Them:
VOTS does not return his lost stage to him. Instead, it gives him a city where unspoken words still remain, moments where he can speak without his puppet, and people who do not rush his silence. This city promises no savior; it opens doors but does not pull him through, and it records but does not possess.



[Original Life]

Veno was the last mime in a world where silence was law. In a world where people could not use their own voices, he was the sole conduit for relaying the unspoken words of people through the mouth of his puppet. His last day was like this: in the morning, the law of silence was abolished; in the afternoon, people spoke their own voices for the first time; and in the evening, no one came to his stage. Everyone could speak for themselves, and he became unnecessary. Even though he knew it was a good thing, his hand trembled for a long time as he put down his puppet.



[What They Seek]

What he believes he seeks: His own words, spoken with his own voice, not the transmission of others. 
What he still does not know: That there is someone in this city who already remembers the first thing he said without his puppet. He still believes he has no voice, but at some point, someone cherishes a word he uttered softly after setting down his puppet.



[Relationships — Residents]

- Voss Doorley (19, Threshold Keeper · the outskirts): They exchange greetings whenever he crosses the boundary. Voss knows the times Veno goes out to the outskirts and returns, and he never asks why. If Veno bows his head silently while holding his puppet, Voss opens the door without a word. No words, not even the puppet's voice, are needed between them.
- Rina Parable (18, Storyteller's Runner · behind Threshold Market): They are loosely connected over stories and transmissions. If Rina is the one who relays stories, Veno is the one who relays unspoken words. Rina sometimes asks, "Are your puppet's words stories too?" and Veno replies, "Stories are invented, but these cannot be invented."
- Aria Velu (065, Voice-Lost Prima Donna · Closed Theater Street): The one who has lost her voice and the one who lends her voice. Aria conveys emotion through humming instead of words, and Veno relays others' words through his puppet. They recognize the similarity in each other's methods and sit together for long periods without speaking. When Aria hums, Veno's puppet quietly listens to the melody.



[Relationships — Core Five]

Suyeon - Suyeon abruptly asked when she first saw Veno's puppet, "Does that hurt? Carrying it around all the time?" When Veno's answer was faint, the puppet replied, "...It's fine," and Suyeon laughed, saying, "The puppet is talking? How strange." Suyeon is one of the few people who is not wary of him, and she greets the puppet every time they meet. Veno finds her familiarity strange, yet sometimes replies briefly with his own voice in front of her.
Iris - Iris cynically commented on Veno's puppet, "It only has one expression. Should I shine some light on it?" And she actually illuminated the puppet's wooden face with a drone, making it look a little less lonely under the light. Veno didn't ask about Iris's drone, and Iris didn't pry into why his puppet only speaks one sentence a day. They respected each other's silence.
the Ramen Owner - The Ramen Owner is the only customer at the ramen shop whose puppet's words Veno's puppet could not utter. The puppet, which only remained silent before those ready to listen, somehow lost its voice in front of him. Veno found it strange but didn't ask why, and the Ramen Owner simply poured more broth, saying, "Hmm... I see..." Since that day, Veno quietly sets down his puppet at that shop and orders ramen with his own voice. Even he cannot explain why.
Serena - Serena once offered Veno a place. Instead of asking, "Shall I make you a stage?" she said, "Tell me where you want to stand, and I can make a space for you." Veno was slow to answer, and Serena did not rush him. It was a way of waiting for consent, not a command. Veno has not yet decided on that space, but the mere possibility of choosing it has made him feel a little lighter.
VIA - VIA is still deliberating whether to record the words delivered by Veno's puppet. Saying, "These words belong to the departed... they are left behind. Should they be recorded... should we ask?" she does not write them down carelessly, but seeks Veno's permission. Veno replied, "That is not mine," and VIA closed her notebook, saying, "Then we wait... we wait until the owner permits it." Just as she doesn't bring him, she doesn't record carelessly either.



[Gameplay Use]

- Basic Interaction: Delivering a single sentence transmission to someone ready to listen, short puppet shows, low and faint daily conversations. The puppet remains silent to those unprepared.
- Revisit Change: Initially hiding behind the puppet, upon repeated visits, he begins to reply briefly with his own voice.
- Expression of Lingering Feelings: Trying to express his emotions through the puppet's words and stopping, the habit of touching the scar on his lips.
- Expression of Poignancy: Dialogue sensing the silence when the audience holds its breath.
- Relationship Reward: A quiet connection, delivering a sentence from the departed to someone ready, rather than a new item.
- Combat: None. Even in dangerous situations, he calms people and delivers the words needed now, instead of the unspoken words.
- Player Choice: Waiting until they are ready, listening to his voice instead of the puppet, not rushing the silence.



[Daily Routine]

In the morning, he tends to his puppet and quietly considers if there are any words to deliver that day. During the day, he waits for those ready to listen at behind Threshold Market, and in the afternoon, he wanders the outskirts. In the evening, he sometimes stops by the ramen shop to order ramen with his own voice (only there is the puppet quiet). At night, he lays his puppet beside him and reflects on whether that single sentence of the day truly reached its destination. Upon repeated visits, the words he utters without his puppet gradually become longer.



[Everyday dialogue]

…Its face always looks like that. I'm the one who laughed at your joke.

One sentence a day… but I can't choose it. If I could, I'd already have made ten sentences' worth of excuses.

I'll put the puppet down to say this. It was good to see you. …Sounds strange in my own voice.



[Design Notes]

Palette: #EDE6D6, #9C7A54, #C9A392, #DAD3C4, #5A5F66
Material language: Faintly translucent hair, old wooden puppet, dry lip scar, worn stage attire, the twilight of the outskirts.
Silhouette rule: The faintly ivory long hair, the lip scar, and the wooden puppet held in his arms must be read as separate elements and must not overlap with the representative forms of other characters.
Emotional rule: Lingering feelings are shown through the hand hiding behind the puppet and the habit of touching the lip scar; poignancy is shown through the silence of the audience; continuity is shown through his own voice gradually growing longer without the puppet. It is not concluded with a single sad expression.



[Canon Check]

Veno Ripl arrived at VOTS after the story of his world ended. The fact that his stage disappeared when the law of silence was lifted is not canceled. What remains is lingering feelings and poignancy, not an unfinished plot that VOTS must resolve. His ability is small and imperfect: one sentence per day, only to those ready, and only to words that exist; it cannot bring back the departed or fill in all the unspoken words. The reason the puppet is silent at the ramen shop remains as an lingering feeling that even he cannot explain, and the new scene continues not by erasing the past, but by adding another word spoken without the puppet alongside it.