Lore and Legend

Hello, Patrons!

In today’s post we’ll be going into more detail about the game’s setting and lore. A lot of this information has been taken directly from our concept/design documents, but for those worried about spoilers, it has been edited to remove significant plot points and some important named characters. This is information that will be freely discussed in future press releases and trailers.

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Summary

SIREN is a third-person, marine mythology RPG set almost entirely underwater, centering around a tribal mermaid kingdom off the coast of a tropical island called Merkuna. This island is near the center of the game's map, allowing us to explore the entire coast and surrounding waters in every direction. SIREN features one of the world's first playable mermaid characters (in an RPG context). Combat will feature tridents, spears, tail attacks, and water-based magic. The game is intended to capture a wide player base, including some first-time gamers, so there will be difficulty settings that make combat approachable to gamers of all skill levels. This is a blank-slate RPG, meaning the player enters the story as a “generic outcast” from a Mer community located on the outskirts of inhabited waters. It is up to the player to define their character and backstory via interactions with the inhabitants of their newfound tribe.

Note:

The Mer in this part of the world are very isolated and have no concept of "land" beyond the tiny (1.5 sq/km) volcanic island they live around, so they consider their island to be a mystical, singular place where the bottom of the sea crosses into another world (the sky). The ocean surface is therefore considered a sacred border between the two realms.

Setting/Story

A Mer community, living on the underwater slopes and terraces of a volcanic island, circa 1800, in a relatively unexplored part of the South Pacific. The Mer know nothing of humanity, save for some questionable myths and songs passed down through history.

Traditionally, Mer only breach the Surface during coming-of-age ceremonies and other religious events, but times are changing, and the younger Mer often frolic at the Surface in their free time, with their elders watching in disapproval from the coral reefs below.

After an introductory chapter in which the outcast Player finds their way to Merkayne’s Rest (our capital city), the story opens in full during a group pilgrimage to the Shrine of Atrimonde, in the shallow water of Merkuna Bay. A heavy fog blankets the ocean, and our ceremonial singing unintentionally brings a European trade ship close enough to be damaged by the jagged reef surrounding the island. Our group flees into the depths, but it is decided that a small contingent should resurface to observe from a safe distance, since “the creatures can’t move in water” and seem to pose little threat. A storm has risen, and the ship, while taking on water quickly, is freed from the rocks by a storm surge that pulls it back toward open water. The ship sinks, and with only one undamaged lifeboat, very few survive.

Back below, the wreck of the ship disappears into the Valmir Abyss, presumably to depths that no living Mer has traversed (Mer superstition keeps them out of deep, dark waters). Days later, a strange darkness begins to spread over our peaceful community, and there are rumors that terrifying abyssal creatures have begun to emerge from deeper waters. The decision is made that someone must set out to seek the Hakriss, a nearly mythical race of elusive deep-sea dwellers that the Mer haven’t had contact with for hundreds of years. Legend tells that the Hakrissian civilization is even more ancient than the Mer, and they may be able to provide insight into both the emergence of the abyssal creatures, and also the encounter with the humans at the surface.

Thus begins our main quest, in which we soon discover that the sinking shipwreck has breached a barrier imprisoning an ancient evil, intent on gathering power and bringing destruction to the seas.

Script for a future trailer (either for Kickstarter or Launch)

[[Storytelling vibe. Almost like reading a religious text]]

"Here I will speak of myth and legend:

…

There once existed only sea and sky, but when Merkayne, goddess of the sea, fought the god of air, she pulled up with her the seafloor itself, and created our home; a sacred place where the seabed rises into the space beyond; a boundary between two worlds, and we call it…Merkuna.

….

But ancient gods were not the only thing to be found above the surface, and Merkayne would sing of other beings from the space beyond – of beings who traverse the Surface in vessels made of trees – beings who could breathe only air.

…

And now, these intruders have changed our world.

….

Their vessel, brought to ruin by a storm of the sky; descends to wake a storm of the deep. The slumbering gods of old awaken, and Merkayne sings out for your aid.

…

What mysteries will you find in the forgotten depths below? Will our sacred history be proven false? And could a new legend rise to take its place?”

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I hope that gives you a broader view of the lore-style and vibe we’re aiming for. We're taking a fairly grounded approach, but don't want to come across as too self-serious. I personally feel like our setting and backstory are some of the strongest elements of the project thus far, and Andrew and I have spent time developing a lot of exciting cultural elements and quest ideas that we haven’t even touched on in this brief overview. We’re called Loreseeker Games for a reason: a strong narrative and intricate world-building are incredibly important to us! Mermaids and ocean lore are such an unexplored niche in gaming; there are countless different types of stories we could have told and cultural-styles we could have approached this from, and I hope you’re satisfied with the direction we’ve chosen.

That’s it for now!


David J