Thank you very much for your kind words! Please accept a Paladin hug from Valera for taking the time to express them here! I am appreciative to hear what worked and didn't work, but it really hits home to know you liked the characters and writing! I don't remember if I ever said it anywhere, but what I really wanted to do was tell a good story and make people feel excited to see characters. It's really motivating to know they came across so well.
A piece of advice I was given when learning RPG Maker was to not make the game you want to make on your first go. Sound advice, because I clearly had no idea how to implement any mechanics in this game. I managed to get through it though, and the finished product was able to garner a reaction like this, it really gives me the drive to get started on that one project roiling around in my head. So thank you again!