Aran

Description
Aran is the first job in the line of special classes, called "Heroes". Although the class is specifically the hero's name, this is only plot significance; in reality, there are many Aran characters in MapleStory.

This should be noted as the first time that MapleStory has created a central plot to the game. Aran's role in the story was one of a hero, fighting against the Black Mage long ago, the now-fully pronounced antagonist to the plot of MapleStory, introduced with the introduction of the Cygnus Knights back in the year 2008. Fighting along with four other heroes, they successfully stopped the Black Mage from ruling the world by sealing him away, but all of them (except Freud who ended up dying at some point) were cursed and sealed away as well. Aran was imprisoned within ice, and only after hundreds of years did he awake with no memory. When starting an Aran, the tutorial starts off with you being Level 200 (alas, without the full repertoire) as part as a flashback, and then continues centuries later (in the plot) in Rien, newly awakened from the ice by a girl named Lilin.

The "Aran" class is quite unique and was highly anticipated. Introducing the exclusive "combo system," the combo system tracked how many consecutive hits you deal to monsters and applies it to Aran's skills. Many of his (or her) skills focus on creating long combos and utilizing the combos to use special abilities.

The "Aran" class is affiliated with the element of ice, as many of his skills exhibit this element. Even Rien, where all of Aran's job advancements take place, is set in a snowy setting (along with penguins and furry monsters).

Aran's choice of weapon is a polearm (you must use this weapon when trying to use almost all of Aran's skills), and though the polearm is, by default, a slow-attacking weapon, Aran speeds up his attacks with his skills, the most vital skills being "Double Swing" and "Triple Swing".

The "Aran" class also suffers from bad accuracy as a result of being related to the "Warrior" class category, and rich MapleStory players (or "Maplers") usually improve their stats through improving their equipment by using scrolls.

Story
A wounded Aran awakes and finds herself/himself in a tent. She/he heads outside and discovers Athena Pierce prepping an escape for the resisting, boarding the Ark that will ferry them over to Victoria Island and escape the horrors of the Black Mage while the other four Heroes tries to buy them time.

However, a terrible thing had happened: a child escapee had gone missing. Aran agrees to find the kid in the forest. She/he fights some of the Black Mage's goons, locates the boy, and brings him back to the Ark which is in the air and ready to evacuate. She gets the child to board the airship and Aran orders them to leave immediately, leaving her behind. Aran promises Athena that he will return, and then heads to the battlefield.

The story of the Heroes is then told: A hundred years ago, an evil mastermind known as the "Black Mage" conquered all of the Maple World. The citizens tried to resist, but had no way to fight back. However, there was one hope: the five Heroes of MapleStory. After a fierce and violent battle, the Black Mage was sealed away. However, before his departure, the Black Mage cursed the Heroes in ice, stripping their memories and encasing them in ice.

After the Aran was cursed, a Mapler ventured to Leafre of Past while tracing Arkarium, and encountered Maha, the spirit within Aran's polearm. As a means of slowing down the curse, Maha requested the Mapler to obtain 50 Broken Polearm Pieces from the nearby Corrupted Kentarus in order to seal Aran within Rien.

A century later, Aran awakes in Rien and meets Lilin, the last member of Aran's clan who believed in his ressurection. Day by day, the citizens of Rien aid the awoken Hero, and she/he slowly regains her/his memories and powers.

Trivia

 * Both genders of the Aran can be found in-game: a male Aran can be found in Leafre of Past while a female Aran appears in Alliance Rising and in Luminous' storyline.
 * Due to the female's reoccurring appearance, there has been much debate over Aran's gender.