On Adventure's Doorstep...

By the time my hand had stretched out as far as the door of Earl’s keep, I could feel the warm from inside.  The night was damp, and cold; spring had only begun, in truth, and the night time air was still crisp and chill to the skin. 

I could almost see the thin currents of air that flowed from the cracks in the building and spread across my face, though they were a fleeting comfort to the icy air on my back.

I knocked twice, and waited.  A moment of silence.  I knocked again.

“Hold on, I’m coming” called a faint voice from the other side.

I waited for a few seconds, and then the door swung open hastily.

As a billowing wave of warmth hit my face, so too did an almost blinding amount of light.

As my eyes became accustomed to the light, I saw a figure almost my side, a woman, standing in the doorway.

“You must be Ingrid’s daughter, right?  I can tell where you get your patience.”

I stood there, silent, and the woman’s face softened.  One eyebrow slowly raised.

“Well alright then, at least you don’t talk as much as she does.  Now come in, before the hearth runs cold.”

The woman gestured for me to move past her and inside, and I managed to mumble a ‘thank you’ as I entered the warm building.

Once inside, she quickly shut the door and turned to face me, offering a hand to take my cloak before noticing that I had none.

“It’s far too cold out to be wandering about without a cloak, young...  what did you say your name was?”

“My name is Sigrid, Thorodsdotter...  and you?” I said, embarrassed at my on manners.

“Geirny, Larsdotter.  It is good to finally meet you, Sigrid, after your mother has told me so much of your beauty.  I can tell now that she lied.”

“Oh...” I muttered, once again at a loss for words, my muscles tensing.

A wide smile crept across Geirny’s face.

“You’re a far greater beauty than she had me imagine,” she said with a hint of her smile in the words, “though I never knew your mother to be humble.”

My muscles relaxed.

“But enough idle chat.  You’re here to see the Earl, yes?”

“I am” I nodded.

“Then after you, young Sigrid.”  Geirny gestured towards the large hall beyond an arching doorway, where the others likely awaited me.  “The Earl has much to tell you...”

Some Perspective on the Whole Thing

After discussing the project in detail and mapping out what we want to see from Days of Ragnarok, LadyStripes and I have decided on the layout and basic system for gameplay:

The main movement system in the game will be side-scrolling, with event cinematics and combat (either live or turn based, depending on the preferences of our patrons on patreon)

A few tidbits of knowledge:  The game will feature an extremely sophisticated pregnancy mechanic, as well as a swathe of unique characters and monsters.

If you'd like to know more, swing over to our patreon: Days of Ragnarok

All the Best,


SpaceTea

The Beginning of a Journey

Of all the days of my life, the one I awaited most was the day I would be chosen for the raids.  They would only send those warriors who were qualified for the task, and to be chosen was a great honour.

This very spring, I received word that the Earl had a special task for those he thought fit.  I was among a select group who had received word, and one of even fewer who had accepted.  Some of them surely declined out of fear, for the tasks of the Earl were infamously dangerous.  Or perhaps they refused out of pride, at having to prove themselves at all. 

I was happy to prove myself.  All I had asked for, since I had begun training, was to be given that chance.

When I told my parents about the Earl’s request, they were silent at first.  To my surprise, it was my mother who spoke up first.

“My daughter, you don’t even know what the Earl is asking you to do...” she began.

“It could be a suicide mission, and for what?  Another one of the Earl’s mad quests for some ancient artefact?  For something long buried and better left forgotten?”

I felt my face flush with excitement and anger.

“You can’t tell me not to go.  I can do what I will with my own life” I stated brazenly.

My mother smiled, and I immediately felt myself begin to calm.

“I wouldn’t try.  I respect you, and I know you well enough to know you wouldn’t listen” she half-joked.  “But are you sure that this is what you want?”

I nodded.  I was absolutely certain.

“When do you leave for this ‘task’?” my mother asked.

“I head out tonight for the Earl’s keep, in order to leave at daybreak” I informed her, uncertain how she would take this last piece of news.

Before she could say anything, my father gave a heaving sigh and stood up, towering over both me and my mother.

“Well come on,” he said in his deep and husky voice, “give your mother and I a hug before you rush out then.”

I embraced them and gladly took their blessing for my journey.

Only hours later, I headed away from my home and travelled to the Earl’s keep, from which my adventure would begin.

Even as early as that night, I began to sense the same strange heaviness that the Earl’s seers had alerted him to weeks earlier, unaware that my journey would take me to the very place from which that fog of uncertainty and apprehension flowed...

A Little Background...

Thule, the Southerners called it.

They said that its cold winters would deter the hardiest of men, that its inhabitants were giants and brutes, and that the natural wealth it could offer was far from worth the lives it would take in return.  They said that its women were beautiful, but fierce and uncontrollable.  Thule was, to them, a faraway place indeed...

To me, it was home.

Where they saw a frigid wasteland, I saw regal mountains and fertile valleys.   The same howling cries that drove them to panic were the ones that lulled me to sleep, night after night.  My own mother was one of the fierce Shield Maidens whom they respected and feared.  My father was toolmaker, with arms as large as mountain oaks and as hard as iron.

Despite what was said of Thule, my childhood was a simple one, filled with a no great challenges or adversities.  My days were filled with a few manageable chores and the occasional trek to another village or a festival, and I had a much time to myself.  While many of the other children were off playing games, or relaxing, I watched the warriors train for their great journeys.

Day after day, they would exhaust themselves almost to death.  The next morning, they get up with the sun, only so that they could do the same again.  I was captivated by their passion, but I didn’t understand...until the day that I hefted my mother’s shield for the first time.

She had asked me to move it to the other side of the room -- the reason why, I don’t recall.  What I do remember is the feeling that crept up my spine and tingled over my face, as I stood with it in my hands.  I was too small then to wield it properly, but it gave me a sense of power that I had never felt until that day.  Before I had even held a sword, I knew that my destiny was to be a Shieldmaiden like my mother.

Indeed, it was no wonder to my family years later when I announced that I wanted to follow in her footsteps.  Despite never saying it aloud, my whole being had become absorbed by my dream, and everyone in the village knew of me for my obsession.  I was referred to fondly as ‘the Shieldgirl’, or scornfully as ‘that girl who plays with weapons’.

In either interpretation, I was someone who was entirely devoted to my path.  The only question that remained was where that path would lead...

Norse Vikings? Sounds Like a Game to Me...

With all the Viking content out there, we thought that we should start work on a Norse-themed game.  While I've never been hugely concerned with fads, I feel that the whole Viking culture is a gold mine for storylines -- both everyday and mythical.

Therefore, without further ado, I bring you Days of Ragnarok.

The game will feature a strong female lead, whose mission will massively alter the fate of Thule.

Why does the game feature a Shieldmaiden?  Well, a couple of reasons.

First of all, LadyStripes and I agree that there just aren't enough female lead characters in video games.  Sure, there are a handful.  Samus Aran comes to mind, as well as a few others, but the list isn't exactly a long one.  We'd like to contribute to the selection of powerful female characters in video games, adult or otherwise.

Second, Lagertha is really hot.  That would be a good incentive coming from me, but since LadyStripes agrees (quite strongly), it was more than enough reason to create a feisty Shieldmaiden of our own.

Look forward to some concept art, as well as interface design and some steamy teaser scenes!

Yours truly,


SpaceTea

P.S. All the promos so far: