Greetings, Seekers of Secrets and Steam-Slingers
Welcome to the fourth instalment of our chronicle. Since Devlog #3, the world of Eryndor has grown from a collection of systems into a breathing, interconnected realm—alive with bustling citizens, evolving farms, and the first steps into multiplayer adventure.
Welcome to Eryndor
Eryndor is a world where iron behemoths belch steam, arcane science entwines with soul energy, and every horizon threatens both wonder and dread. In this first Lore Compendium, we lay bare the bones of our realm: its four great continents, the mighty cities that crown them, the noble houses and shadowy factions that vie for power—and above all, the terrifying promise of the Soul Crystals. Here is where our saga begins.
Continents of Eryndor
Renalvia – The Heart of Steel & Steam
Renalvia is the empire’s iron engine. Endless factories belch black smoke across its plains, and spiked airships patrol its cobalt skies. From snow-capped peaks to mist-shrouded bays, every forge and foundry serves the insatiable appetite of progress.
- Norinwall: The imperial capital, ringed by canals and colossal steam towers, where merchant lords and research cabals wage silent wars beneath eternal fog.
- Enderburg: A basalt fortress on the wind-scoured cliffs, commanded by House Valmor and bristling with prototype war machines.
- Skalver: Hidden in the Boltof Mountains, home to the secretive Grey Shadows and their forbidden Soul Crystal experiments.
- Olravia: Perched on sunlit ridges, this city of marble and gilded gears is the playground of House Havelard’s financiers and diplomats.
- Bortalz: A ramshackle maze of wooden piers and floating shanties, dominated by House Drovik’s pirate-smugglers’ guild.
- Tulvyx: Verdant plains of golden grain, the “Belly of the Empire,” where restless peasants whisper rebellion under steam-driven windmills.
Sovarim – Jungle of Greed
A humid labyrinth of black water and towering vines, Sovarim was once a colonial prize. Now, decaying temples and half-submerged ruins harbour revolting diseases—and the rebels who embrace them.
- Gharbassa: The ruined capital, equal parts bazaar and battlefield, where spice-mongers barter with gun-runners beneath the canopy’s ghostly glow.
Galdara – Forge of Fire & Storm
Volcano-scarred isles ringed by thunderous seas. Lightning-silver veins cool in molten rock, and pirate enclaves trade in slaves and stolen Soul Crystals beneath ash-dark skies.
- Vornstahl: A roiling pirate port where every tavern table hides a dagger and every dockside warehouse conceals forbidden machinist relics.
Velthora – The Frostbound Wastes
Eternal ice fields and skeletal forests of ironwood. The air hums with arcane chill, and half-buried machine-cities whisper of ancient horrors beneath the permafrost.
- Skalhavn: The empire’s frigid outpost, where frost-forged technology battles nomadic cults worshipping wandering iron trees.
Cities, Houses & Factions
Power in Eryndor flows from dynastic families, clandestine orders, and militarized guilds. In each great city, alliances shift like gears in a clockwork conspiracy.
- House Sevrin (Norinwall): Masters of naval trade and Soul Crystal shipments, they vie with Havelard for control of the bays and banks.
- House Havelard (Olravia): Financial overlords funding wars and underwriting secret Soul Machine projects, their ledgers hide more than loans.
- House Valmor (Enderburg): Iron discipline incarnate, they enforce the empire’s will with prototype steam lances and mechanized infantry.
- Grey Shadows (Skalver): A mysterious caste of researchers who defy imperial bans to harness Soul Crystals in forbidden laboratories.
- House Drovik (Bortalz): Puppet-masters of the black markets, their smugglers and assassins supply both empire and insurgents with contraband and secrets.
- House Miron (Tulvyx): Once proud landowners, now beset by peasant uprisings and compelled to choose between brutal repression and uneasy compromise.
Code Alchemy: Forging Eryndor’s Engine
Behind every steam-powered leviathan and haunted crystal lies a web of intricate systems. In this section, we unveil the latest feats of engineering—AI behaviors, world-building frameworks, and UI wonders—that bring Eryndor to life.
Animal Automation & Barnyard Infrastructure
Our creatures are no longer static props: they think, wander, and react to your farm’s rhythm.
- AnimalController & State Machine: Each animal now cycles through Idle, Wander, Eat, Sleep and more—switching behaviors seamlessly.
- Animal Visuals: Floating nameplates and state-icons display “Fed,” “Pet,” or “Ready to Produce,” tightening player feedback.
- AnimalBuilding Framework: Incubators, Hay Distributors, Feeding Troughs and Silos share a unified lifecycle. Buildings enter a Construction Phase—crafted brick by brick by our NPC craftsmen—before activating.
Citizens in Motion: NPC Behavior & Scheduling
No more idle villagers or frozen townsfolk—our NPCs now follow living, breathing daily routines.
- NPCDefinition & Traits: Define each character’s name, home, workplace and personality quirks in a single data asset.
- NPCSchedule & Runner: Time-based entries drive NPCs from dawn to dusk—market stalls, tavern brawls, even chance encounters en route.
- Movement & Interaction Controllers: Pathfinding, polite greetings, animated conversations: let your world feel populated and unpredictable.
Granular Placement & On-Demand Sync
From lanterns on a shelf to sprawling fences, every object now slots precisely—and updates only when needed.
- 16×16 Placement Grid: Finer snapping resolution for chairs, fences, decorations—no more clunky 32px jumps.
- Demand-Driven Chest Sync: Chest contents refresh only on open, slashing network overhead and desyncs in multiplayer.
- RuleTile Fences & Gates: Auto-tiling logic replaces 300 lines of junction code—gates swing, fences connect, and your build code stays lean.
UI Polishing: Menus, Options & Credits
A game is only as good as its first handshake. We’ve remade yours in polished brass and parchment.
- Modular IntroManager: Runtime-constructed text, images and video sequences—ready for localization and dynamic narrative tweaks.
- Main Menu & Save Browser: "Continue" loads in the background while the intro plays. New Game stub supports future character creation. Load Screen lists saves with metadata, plus Duplicate & Delete buttons.
- Options Panel: Audio sliders (Master, Music, SFX), graphics toggles (resolution, V-Sync), gameplay flags (tooltips, NPC names) and full key-binding remapping.
- Credits Module: Major/minor roles, optional portraits, skippable scroll—and fast-forward for impatient adventurers.
Multiplayer Foundations
Laying the rails for shared rebellion and camaraderie—our lobby code now handles connections, and soon we’ll unlock co-op chaos.
- Lobby Creation & Join: Players can host and join sessions, share farm slots, and soon swap roofing duties.
- Sync Safeguards: Built-in checks to prevent two players from grabbing the same item, opening the same chest, or construing the same door.
- Future Teasers: Expect real-time co-op world edits, shared NPC interactions, and synchronized environment events.
What’s Next?
We’re gearing up for a deeper lore, building a mine setup, extending the dialogue system with NPC voices. We're also setting up a wiki to dive deeper into our lore and the game. Your feedback fuels the forge. Join us on Discord and let’s code the future of Eryndor, one commit at a time.
— Team Octiware