Frayed Knights 2 – The Story Begins!

Posted by Rampant Coyote on March 2, 2016

Our focus lately has been so heavy on level design that it’s hard for me to think about anything else to discuss about the game. I’m really, really excited about how this is working out, and I’m excited for you guys to play them. But… I don’t want to cross from “teaser” into “spoiler” territory. However, be warned: there will be some references to the events of the first game here, so if you are still pushing for victory in The Skull of S’makh-Daon and wish to be unsullied, don’t read past the WARNING notice a few paragraphs down.

In Frayed Knights 2: The Khan of Wrath, we’re trying to improve everything about the original game. Story is a big one. While I feel I did an okay job on the first game, I really wanted to punch it up more for the second game. In addition to a more gripping and coherent story arc, I also want each of the 20 dungeon levels to feel like a self-contained story in their own right.  Sort of like a TV series with each dungeon level acting like an episode. Self-contained, but moving the overall arc along.

So every area has its own history and back-story, as well a story that evolves while the adventurers tackle it. I’ve had a lot of fun working on the back-story of each dungeon, and the characters and personalities involved before the player ever arrives on the scene. A lot of this work won’t really ever be visible on the surface: as a player, you might only see a fraction of this. But it informs the level design, the lore, some of the narrative elements, what kinds of encounters you’ll face, etc.

So why are the Frayed Knights here?

WARNING: Minor spoilers for the first game, Frayed Knights: The Skull of S’makh-Daon, starting now.

Fear grows throughout the kingdom of the return of the arch-lich Nepharides, the villain of the Wizard War that nearly destroyed civilization just a few centuries ago. Scholars have uncovered a prophecy about his return, and signs of its imminent fulfillment are already appearing. The kingdom is trying to keep this information quiet and root out the problem, but it is growing desperate.

Meanwhile, the Adventurer’s Guild is faring little better. Its membership delves into the ruins of the old civilization and the hidden places that are on the forefront of many of these prophetic signs, and mortality rates have skyrocketed. Worse, a secret faction within the Guild has apparently sided with the forces of evil, and work to assist in Nepharide’s return.

While the Frayed Knights revealed one of the major conspirators, the Guild hasn’t fully rooted out this faction, and there are some within the Guild who would like nothing more than to see the Knights – and their rivals / allies the Heroes of Bastionne – die in lingering agony for what they’ve done. Not only has this prevented both groups from obtaining membership in the guild, but they’ve been counseled by none other than the guildmaster himself, Argus Stormhammer, to lay low for a while until the full conspiracy and those who would betray them are uncovered.

So… while these frightful events and turmoil at the highest levels are taking place, and the kingdom is frantically sending soldiers to prevent the prophecy before it is too late… the Frayed Knights are cooling their heels in the middle of frickin’ nowhere, in a community called Roark’s Roost. Adventuring opportunities are few and far between, and they get to share this annoying “vacation” with the Heroes of Bastionne.

At least the inn is cheap. And if the world ends tomorrow, Dirk won’t have to worry about settling up his bar tab.

 

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