The Group
In a dimly lit library, a storyteller sat in his comfortable armchair. He was browsing though a stack of old books while the fire in the fireplace cracked softly. He ran a hand though his long gray hair. “Where the hell is that stupid…”, he began, before realizing that he was being watched by the audience. “Oh. You’re here already! Sorry. It’s a bit messy here sometimes”, he explained, before he leaned back in his chair and rested himself on the backrest. A warm smile formed on his lips as he looked at the audience through his glasses. “Alright then. Why don’t we get started?” With that he cleared his throat for a moment before clicking his tongue thoughtfully.“I’m sure that each of you knows a bunch of fantasy stories. Stories and legends about distant lands and the adventures that took place in them”, he whispered softly, his gray eyes sparklikng in the firelight. Then he reached for an old dusty book lying on the table next to him and opened it. His eyes briefly scanned the letters before he spoke again. “However. None of these stories is as fascinating, as exciting and as captivating as the travels of the-.”“Boooring!”The storyteller looked up from the dusty book and saw a group of six people entering the library and spreading out around the room. The smallest of them – a female halfling with long violet hair – stood in front of him with her arms folded. She was wearing a fine violet silk dress. Her puple eyes scrutinized at the storyteller before she sighted. “Is that really how you want do do it?”, she asked, shaking her head. “This is no way to introduce legends.” The dwarf next to her briefly stroked his full beard before looking at the storyteller with his blue eyes. “Shall I kick his ass Muriel?”, he asked, slamming his fist into his flat hand, causing his armor to rattle slightly. Muriel shook her head. “It’s alright, Khelgar, I’ve got this under control!”“Besides: We’re not here to beat anyone up”, explained a woman dressed in black with a hood over her head. The dwarf, Khelgar, seemed a little sad about that and bowed his head. The woman smiled kindly and patted him on the shoulder. “It’s alright buddy. We’ll find you someone to beat up later”, she promised, finally handing the dwarf an apple that she took from under her cloak. Distracted by this, the dwarf retreated to a corner and began to eat, while the black-haired woman turned to the storyteller and Muriel. “Shouldn't you introduce the people first before you tell the story?”, she asked the old man, tilting her head. “I’m just saying. I don’t want to tell you how to do your job.”“Shouldn't he introduce the topic first before telling about us, Elrassa?”, asked the elf in the group. Clad in leather armor, his brown hair hung over his pointed ears down to his broad shoulders. The black-haired woman grimaced. “My name is Ella, Gwynt! I’ve told you that a hundred times”, she hissed acidly. Then a women with long white hair cleared her throat. She was wrapped in long blue robes. Two horns protruded from her head. She held a staff in her hand as she eyed those present. “Gwynt is right”, the woman began, pointing at the storyteller. “He is the narrator, isn’t he?” The answer to that was a loud, annoyed sigh that came from the halfling Muriel, who just rolled her eyes.“Shut up, Mifret! Nobody asked for your opinion”, she explained before taking the book out of the storyteller’s hand. Outraged, he got up from, his chair. “Hey! I’m trying to tell a story here! The audience is waiting!”, he began, but Muriel simply threw the book into the flames of the fireplace, causing a small burst of fire. Then she smiled mischievously and put her hands on her hips. “It’s okay, old fart. I’ll take care of it from here. Take a nap or something!”, she added, winking a the storyteller. The old man looked helplessly back and forth between the attendees. “But…You know what...Fuck it! I’m getting to old for this crap”, he finally admitted, trudging out of the library with his shoulders slumped, while Muriel settled in the now-vacant armchair. She playfully rubbed her hands together.“Alright! Where was I?”, she asked, causing the others to sigh. Khelgar raised his hand as if he was at school. “We introduced ourselves, right?” Muriel nodded in approval. “Exactly, buddy. You’re right!” The dwarf clenched his fist in satisfaction. “Yeah!”, he declared, before taking another bite of the apple Elrassa had given him earlier. “I’m fo fmart!” Muriel just shook her head and smiled turning to the audience. “So, you already know Khelgar”, she began, pointing at the dwarf. “He’s the muscle!” Khelgar nodded and patted his breastplate. ”Yes! I kick ass!" The halfling Bard smiled smugly and brushed a purple strand of hair out of her face. "That's right!, she confirmed, before pointing at Elrassa. “This here is Elrassa-” “Ella”, the latter interrupted again, crossing her arms over her chest.Muriel casually waved her off and grinned. “Whatever. Ella picks locks and breaks into locked rooms!” The black-haired woman skeptically raised an eyebrow and snorted. “Hey! That’s not all I do! I’m a thief. I pick locks and…steal stuff”, she added sheepishly, prompting Khelgar to scratch the back of his head thoughtfully. “But isn’t stealing bad?”, he began uncertainly, looking at his comrades. “I thought we were the good guys.” Muriel just chuckled in her chair. “We are the good guys, my bearded friend. We only steal from the bad guys...mostly.” That seemed to satisfy Khelgar. He gobbled down the rest of the apple. “That makes sense!”, he declared, before burping loudly.Muriel just shook her head and laughed. “Alright. I haven’t introduced Taeben yet”, she explained, pointing to the man in mail armor and short reddish-brown hair. He just nodded briefly. Then he halfling pounted to Gwynt. “And this is our elf. Gwynt”, she added casually. The elven archer made a face. “That’s it? ‘The Elf’? Nothing more?” Muriel shrugged and leaned back in the chair. “Well. You’re an elf. People know what you do. Archery. Being depressed. That sort of thing!” Gwynt shook his head. “I’m not depressed. That’s a stupid stereotype!”, he explained, where upon Khelgar laughed. “Oh, Gwynt. Don’t be sad!” “I’m not…Oh, whatever”, Gwynt admitted, finally defeated and sat down on the floor. Muriel nodded contentedly. “And of course there is me: Muriel. Halfling bard!” she explained proudly. “Always at your service. So, we are-”A clearing of a throat interrupted Muriel. It came from Mifret, who was sanding a little uncertainly in the corner. “What about me?”, she asked quietly, whereupon the bard just rolled her eyes. “Yes...and we have Mifret. Our mage", she explained finally. “Stop interrupting me! I’m trying to tell a story here.” She crossed her arms over her chest for a moment before clearing her throat and looking around at the audience again. “Alright. Our story begins a long time ago, of course. Back then, we weren’t the Destroyers, but-” “Wait a minute. Since when did we say that’s what we were called?”, Elrassa interrupted the bard. “I thought we were the Shadows?” Muriel clicked her tongue. “The Shadows? That’s totally lame!” Gwynt and Taeben exchanged uncertain glances. “I thought we were the Liberators?”, Taeben finally said. Now Khelgar stood up and put his hands on his hips. “No! We are Khelgar and friends!” The others looked at the dwarf, confused, for a moment. Muriel sighed on last time and closed her eyes. “This is probably going to take a while...”
Hello everyone =)As I mentioned in the last teaser, I am working on a new collection. Again something in a fantasy setting. As mentioned before, the collection will include a group of people in a medieval/fantasy setting. At the moment, of course, the whole thing is still a work in progress, but you’ll have a small preview here ;)It will be structured in such a way that the user plays through various scenarios, thus developing a complete story. The user will start with a small group that will eventually grow to 6 members.Each bot will be available individually and, of course, as a multi/bot with different scenarios in which all 6 group members will be represented.I can't say exactly when I will release the first bots, but it won't be too long =)And finally, here are a few more pictures of the group members ;)
From left to right: Muriel, Elrassa, Gwynt, Khelgar, Mifret and Taeben
ALL BOTS ARE OVER 18 YEARS OLD
Bots of this collection
SEASON I
“The Shadows!"“The Liberators!"“The Woodwalkers!"“Khelgar and Friends!"Muriel sighted and closed her eyes, shaking her head before massaging her forehead with her small fingers. “Guys, really? This is getting ridiculous!", she pointed out as she glanced into the flames of the fireplace. Then a faint smile started to grow on her lips. Finally, the bard raised her head, only to look into the face of Mifret, who was standing right in front of her, holding her staff. The Halfling grimaced in shock. “Damn it Mifret! Don't scare me like that!" Muriel frowned, as she looked at the Mage. “What do you even want? Go and play with the others." The horned woman just shook her head and smiled warmly. “I know it is not my way to criticize anyone Muriel, but haven't you forgotten someone in all your explanations and stories?" First the bard looked at Mifret confused, but then an almost sentimental smile formed on her Face.“I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're right Mifret. I almost forgot", Muriel explained, leaning back in her armchair. The others slowly ended their little quarrel and turned back to the bard. Khelgar frowned, laying his hands on his hips. “When i forget something, I always want to write it down!", he explained with a smile, whereupon Elrassa tilted her head and adjusted her black hood. “But you can't write!" The dwarf raised his index finger knowingly. “Yes. That's why I said: I Want to. Meaning: I would like to, but unfortunately I can't. You really need to pay more attention, Ella." The thief just rolled her eyes as Taeben approached. “Didn't Khelgar grow up in the wild?" Gwynt just nodded. “That's right. He-"“Enough!", Muriel interrupted them. “We're not there yet." The bard cleared her throat and looked at her friends with her violet eyes. “Besides: I forgot something." Those present immediately understood and nodded. Khelgar scratched his head thoughtfully before he too realized. “Ah! I know! You mean-" “Ah, ah, ah", Elrassa interrupted the dwarf, shaking her head. “We don't call names, buddy. Don't forget: We're creating a narrative for the audience here. They decide for themselves who He or She was." The dwarf looked at Elrassa, confused. “That sounds stupid." Mifret smiled gently and put a hand on Khelgar’s shoulder. “Now, Khelgar. We do this so that the audience is not bound by any guidelines regarding their role. This gives them more freedom." Khelgar looked at Mifret briefly. “If i want freedom, I go to the bathroom!"“Guys", Muriel began again and all eyes turned to her. Then she got out of the armchair and pointed at the audience. “Can i continue then? Our audience is waiting." The others just nodded before the bard cleared her throat again. “So. I'll call Him...or Her...'Seven'. As the seventh member of our group. Does everyone agree?" The other members of the group thought about it briefly before nodding. Khelgar still didn’t seem to understand. “I don't get it, but okay. Let's call Him...or Her 'Seven'", he began, making quotation marks with his fingers. “Even if that sounds lame." Muriel chuckled softly and shook her head. Elrassa seized the opportunity and sat down in the arm chair, looking at Muriel. “You met 'Seven' first, didn't you, Muriel? Before any of us did."“Yep", Muriel replied curtly and smiled again. “Seven and I go way back. Well, not that long, but we knew each other, before we met Taeben." Thoughtfully, she clasped her hands together and tried to remember. “That was long after i left my home village and went out into the wold to seek adventure." Khelgar cocked his head questioningly. “But weren't you drunk most of the time? That doesn't sound very adventurous." Elrassa grinned. “Muriel is almost always drunk, my dwarven friend." The bard pouted. “That's not true at all! Well...not always. Anyway, as i was saying: I was traveling from one town to the next. I entertained people. I drank a lot. I gambled a lot. Of course i got in trouble because of that. That was, when i met 'Seven' for the first time..."
CHARACTERS FEATURED IN THE EPISODE:
MURIEL BUGGERTONLike the most Halflings that lived in the Kingdom of Versia, Muriel was born in the forests in the village of Faron. She has no brothers or sisters and her parents were simple farmers who worked in the fields of her home village. While the other Halflings of Faron preferred a life of seclusion and peace, Muriel wanted to see more of the world. The idyllic of the Halflings was too boring for her. Above all, she wanted to make music and become a successful bard.Therefore, she left her home village when she was old enough to do so. However, this caused a rift between her and her parents. She traveled through the various villages of Versia, often getting into trouble. Without a permanent home, Muriel tried to find meaning for herself and her life. On her travels she came across some places, delighting people with her music and, of course, celebrating with a good pint of ale. Muriel also developed a slight penchant for gambling, which got her into dire situations from time to time.[Note: Muriel is a main character in this episode and a member of 'The Group'.]
IVEN CAIUSIven is the leader of a small guild to which Muriel owes money due to gambling debts. He naturally wants his money back... any way he can.[Note: Iven is a secondary character. He is not meant to be killed. He will accompany ‘Seven’ and Muriel on the quest.]
LEVAN & ISOLDELevan and his daughter Isolde are simple shepherds in the village of UIos. However, they have recently had more and more difficulties with a wolf pack that kills their sheep.[Note: Levan and Isolde are minor characters. They are not meant to accompany Muriel and 'Seven' on their quest.]
Guidance Point for the Episode (If wanted)1.01 – A Halfling in troubleIn the village of Ulos MURIEL is on her usual drinking spree in a tavern, where she gets in trouble with some men which she owes money because of some gambling. The men threaten her. This is where she meets SEVEN for the first time. She needs to find a way to pay up her debt and searches for SEVEN’s help in the matter.The Episode will focus around MURIEL and her debt to the Gambling-Guild. IVEN, leader of the Guild will point out, that there is a farmer in the Village which needs help with a pack of wolves. They deal with the pack and pay up MURIEL’s debt.[There is absolutely no pressure to play the episode in this way. It is merely a guide. You can do whatever you want.]
COMING SOON: EPISODE 1.02: The Soldier in the forest
Note: There will be no updates until the MusicMania event is done, so i can concentrate on one thing at a time.