#character updates

"Do you think their alive??" The wooper asks in a frenzy.

The espurr replies, "Of course they are Bitz. Look at the tail, the ears-"

"Hello! Can you hear us??" The eccentric wooper calls out.

Diane slightly opens her eyes, but remains silent.

"Oh thank goodness, your awake!"

"We should probably bring her back to your village Bitz. Isn't there someone who could look at them there?"

"Oh yeah! We ought to have Remedy take a look at them for sure."

The wooper then outstretches their tail, and wraps it around the skitty. Gently picking her up by the waist. Taking her along back to the Village of Woopers.

Let's get this out the way first and foremost. You will still be able to customise your Main Character and their offspring in all the ways you can currently. I'm not removing any of that choice from you. You'll also be able to pick who your Main Character becomes attached to. However, this is where things will need to change a bit.

Previously our romantic options were all single and ready to mingle and remained so until the player directed their Main Character into a relationship with them. Open season, so to speak. What will now (future demo) take place is the Main Character will begin early to favour one of the eight relationship (romantic or platonic) options, and as said relationship grows, the remaining seven will begin their own journeys with other characters.

Which other characters? Well, here's where the real fun begins.

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Old narrative:

A lone wanderer, with their offspring/dependent, stumbles into Aldmirham in pursuit of work and lodging for the winter.

New narrative:

A small group of wanderers, with their offspring/dependents, stumble into Aldmirham in pursuit of work and lodging for the winter.

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Our RO's aren't the only ones gaining 'siblings'.

There'll be five adult characters trundling their way into Aldmirham in the hafest of 822 DT, and the beginning of the story will take place at the very start of winter, through to blostma (spring).

The Main Character will be one of these five adults, and their dependent will be one of the three children with them.

Some of you may have noticed a slight mathematical flaw in this. I have eight relationship options and five new folks. Well, you don't need to form romantic relationships to live a happy and fulfilling life, and neither do the RO's.

Let's get a run-down on our travelling group, shall we?

Ænidym Bécencnol (NB) - An old friend of Marrin/Marryn/Marren and Sumara (previously Zephora), they joined shortly after the events that led to the MC first travelling with the group (what ever those events may be), in the town of Þeófcrecca on the western shore of Crawshire. They're a carpenter by trade, apprenticing with a shipwright in the town. They're supportive, grounded, and often the voice of reason when their companions need a reminder of common sense.

Ehwan Bécencnol (M) - Ænidym's young cousin, orphaned after his mother drowned in an accident out at sea while fishing. He's quiet, distrustful of strangers, and has a deep and abiding fear of deep water. He's a year or so older than the MC's child and is obsessively protective of them.

Azgoá Ménastaþs (F) - Orignally from the realm of Þinda, she took apprenticeship with the iron smiths of Crawburh before meeting up with the others, and deciding to travel east with them, hoping to learn from the smithing guilds in the rest of the realm. Others often think she has a funny accent, and she delights in teaching the children foul comebacks in her native tongue.

Ielfetu Wischam (M) - A basket weaver by trade, Ielfetu joined the group with his daughter, Basjá, after Basjá's mother became violent towards them both. He's good at what he does, but struggles to see that, relying on his new friends and confidants to pick him up and set him on his feet. Originally from the smaller, tamer marshes of Wýscanwisc, he's comfortable in the Mire, and hopes the group will stay after the winter is through.

Basjá Wischam (F) - Ielfetu's daughter, she's the youngest of the group's children, though only by a few months. Tall for her age, and bold, she's often chosen as the leader among the children, though her overconfidence often leads them all into trouble. She's anxious about her father, often feeling like she has to protect him from those who might bully him or push him around, this well-meaning support rarely ends well.

Aranor Halshlinc (M) - The newest member of the group, he first joined them when he was still legally a child, seeking to escape a bad situation he'd found himself in, with muddy legal ramifications. He's spent every day since this incident trying to make it up to them, taking on far more dog's body work than he should, often exhausting himself. He has a good heart, but a limited appreciation for long term consequences, and his past is never far behind him.

Main Character (?) -

Main Character's Child (?) -

Now, I'm not telling you who ends up connecting with who, that'd be spoilers.

So this is our crew of travelling misfits, here's to the shenanigans when they meet our resident band of misfits in Aldmirham! The town won't know what's hit it.

Why do this? Well, it means when the story of Myrk Mire touches the fixed narrative story, I have more points to weave connections with, more people to mention or name-drop, and tbh more people to hide the MC behind without having to strongly define who they are. I'm not going to be able to keep the MC ambiguous forever, but I hope I can create a strong enough sense of community within the story that readers still feeling comfortable when the MC of Myrk Mire does make their eventual appearance because the family around them remains the same.