Gothic Science 🧪
almost 3 years ago – Wed, Mar 23, 2022 at 03:51:09 PM

The Future is Now!

The age of science is just around the bend and there are some in Spireholm who are blazing the trail. Although not commonplace and certainly frowned upon by the Divine Ordee creations of science are beginning to appear in Spireholm. Most notably Lucio Silvari head of the Silvari family is putting science and technology to use in his inventions.

Many of the citizens of Spireholm will have seen Silvari's creations but mostly within one of the family banks. Great clockwork doors with all manner of moving parts and security features. Not many, however, will have seen some of his other inventions designed as even more robust security. 

Lucio has a penchant for chess and dislike of inefficient employees and has created some of his own 'guards'. Anyone foolish enough to try and break into a Silvari premises might just find themselves in checkmate.

Along with science of the more mechanical and technological there has also been an emergence in study of the biological. Much of this has been fuelled by the study of monsters, their properties, and their weaknesses. But more recently research and experiments have begun to expand to all manner of fields, physiology, medicine, and alchemy to name but a few.

Most of this study has now been driven underground. The Divine Order considers this 'Science' a heresy and has no qualms about making its opinions known. Since the sacking of the Spireholm University by the Knights of the Holy Tear many years ago science has become a dirty word in the city and is conducted exclusively behind closed doors.

Ready to slide into the deep?
almost 3 years ago – Wed, Mar 23, 2022 at 01:40:50 AM

Hold onto your hats when entering the great tangle

Spireholm has a drainage and sewer system that some would call inspired. Others would call it madness. Multiple systems layered on top of each other with no clear plan or possible way of discerning what pipe carries what and leads where. This lack of structural planning has led to the existence of 'The Great Tangle' a labyrinth of pipes and chutes which connect the surface and everything below it together. 

If you know your way The Great Tangle can lead anywhere you wish and often at rapid speeds.This is the primary mode of transportation of goods and people in Dregstone and also the quickest way to get to and from the surface. 

However, if you aren't familiar with its‘ bends you may end up somewhere you wish you did not. Perhaps an impregnable bastions on a lake of toxic ooze such as Pipehold Prison? You absolutely wouldn't want to end up there...

The pipes under Spireholm are part of Dregstone's culture. They are seen as almost sacred as they bring supplies from the surface as boons to the people underground. They also play a key role in the drop in and out mechanic within Dregstone as it is quite easy to have a player fall down a pipe and re-appear two sessions later when they are available to play again. 

A Broker of Everything
almost 3 years ago – Mon, Mar 21, 2022 at 03:34:17 PM

The only thing more valuable than money is information

The trends of the Spireholm economy come and go, sometimes people want new silks and fabrics for their ballgowns, the next week they want edible delicacies from outside the walls. But one thing always remains the most valuable, information, and if this (or anything else for that matter) is the commodity you require then you need to make an appointment with 'The Broker'.

Also know as Zheng, 'The Broker' is a powerful man in Spireholm. Although he has his fingers in a number of pies there are two areas he specialises in. The first is information, if people are stuck for a lead or wish to blackmail someone then Zheng should be their first port of call. Nothing in the city escapes his attention or the attention of his network.

Alongside information 'The Broker' also has a penchant for the esoteric both as a personal and business interest. Get in his good books and he may even offer you a little work on the side to acquire some more difficult to find things, of course he will pay handsomely in coin, curios, or whispers.

In the Secrets of Spireholm story players will bump into Zheng early on where he will make them an offer which is pertinent to their escapades. Monster parts are one of his speciality items, there are those in the city who require them, collectors, scientists, zealots, the demand is surprisingly high. Need a good bit of information? Or perhaps you could do with some weapons that pack a bit more of a punch? Bring 'The Broker' some monster parts (dead or alive) and you will be richly rewarded.

Digging in to monster building
almost 3 years ago – Sun, Mar 20, 2022 at 05:53:00 PM

A dash of blood, and heaped spoon of horror

We did a lot of work when we first started developing SHIVER Gothic to get the feel right for the huge variety of monsters the gothic genre gives you to play with. Vampires in particular have a really rich variety across different regional folklore and so we wanted to tap into that as much as possible.

The sketches above were all done in the development stage for some of the more important vampire characters. Some 'monsters' in the story have more complex motives than just causing chaos and destruction so Ben spent a lot of time working on posing to get the correct balance of mystery and menace.

The great thing about vampires is they are not usually alone as an antagonist. In the sketches above you can see some images of monsters and enemies we designed that were all adjacent to Spireholm's vampiric incursion. These range from absolutely gigantic bats to human familiars in the service of their masters.

We also had to consider that anything/anyone in the city could become a vampire in theory. Ben had a lot of fun working on the sketches below as part of the project he dubbed 'vampire weirdos'. These covered the idea of anything from Holy Knights to Courtiers becoming sanguinary stalkers of the night.

Who watches the Watchmen?
almost 3 years ago – Sat, Mar 19, 2022 at 03:51:24 PM

Crime is abound is Spireholm

Power in the city of Spireholm is mostly held by the major families and other vested interests. However, there is one organisation that remains neutral from the machinations of factional infighting, The City Watch. They are the official law keepers of the city, keeping a watchful eye over criminal activity within the walls. 

The Watch operates from a location at the centre of Spireholm, Watch Headquarters. The imposing watchtower sits high above the cityscape as a beacon of lawful rule to the population. The tower is surrounded by barracks, training areas, stables, and everything the organisation needs. The headquarters is also surrounded by a heavily defended wall. If the outer walls of the city were to ever fall it is here that the people of Spireholm could seek shelter.

The story in Secrets of Spireholm will see our players interacting with The Watch as they attempt to solve mysteries outside of their jurisdiction. Players may even have options as they spend more time in the story to become deputised into The Watch itself and gain access to its extensive resources!

Unlike the Knights of the Holy Tear from yesterday's update The Watch are on the side of the people of Spireholm. Civilian safety is their priority, so when the population is under threat they will often clash with other factions whose interests lie elsewhere.