SkyLands Wiki

Home / Game Content

Narrative Themes and Writing Guidelines

“The world is dying, but you still have a choice: save it, exploit it, or become something else entirely.”

Overview

This document establishes the narrative foundation for all SkyLands content. It defines the tone, writing style, and design principles that create the game’s unique atmosphere—a dark fantasy world where hope is fragile but present, where choices matter, and where the line between salvation and damnation is never clear.

Tone Consistency

Dark Fantasy

The SkyLands universe is fundamentally harsh and unforgiving:

Examples: - A merchant’s corpse hangs from a rope bridge, picked clean by scavengers - The Hollow’s transformation shows beauty twisted into horror - Elder Mira hides her corruption, knowing discovery means death

Not Grimdark

Despite the darkness, SkyLands retains hope and meaning:

Examples: - Priest Valeria heals refugees without payment - The Drifting Sanctuary offers sanctuary to all, regardless of corruption - Captain Jorah risks his life to rescue stranded travelers - Skyport Eos maintains its lighthouse as a beacon of hope

Cosmic Horror

The universe contains things beyond human comprehension:

Design Principle: Not everything needs explanation. Mystery enhances rather than diminishes the experience. Players should feel wonder, dread, and uncertainty.

Examples: - The Lighthouse glows with no fuel source, no mechanism, no explanation - Kiera Windcaller saw something in the Black Tempest she cannot articulate - The Silence Phenomenon: 23 populated islands simply empty overnight - Pre-Shattering texts hint at “the Wound” but provide no context

Bittersweet

Even victories carry costs:

Examples: - Exorcising Brother Caelum saves him but destroys his faith - Exposing Elder Mira’s corruption prevents spread but creates political crisis - Stopping the Rot in one location accelerates it elsewhere - The “good” ending still leaves thousands dead from the initial Shattering

Intimate

Individual stories matter in a dying world:

Examples: - The Lost Merchant quest is about one family’s tragedy - Barret Stonegut remembers every regular customer’s drink order - Elder Mira’s corruption is personal trauma, not abstract plot device - Characters reference past player choices in future encounters

Writing Style Guidelines

Core Principles

Show, Don’t Tell

Bad: “Elder Mira is secretly corrupted and afraid.”

Good: “Elder Mira’s hand trembles as she signs the decree. Her sleeve rides up, revealing black veins crawling up her wrist. She quickly pulls it down, glancing around to see if anyone noticed.”

Character Depth

Every NPC should have: - Motivation: What do they want? - Fear: What keeps them up at night? - Secret: What are they hiding? - Relationships: Who do they know/love/hate? - Contradiction: What makes them complex?

Example—Merchant Vex: - Motivation: Profit and survival - Fear: The Rot reaching Skyport Eos - Secret: Smuggles supplies to refugees for free - Relationships: Rival of Dockmaster Harvin, supplier to Sister Morrigan - Contradiction: Cynical businessman who performs quiet acts of compassion

Multiple Perspectives on Truth

Different characters should interpret the same events differently:

The Shattering: - Clergy: Divine punishment for hubris - Archivists: Failed dimensional experiment - Rot-Touched: Intentional awakening - Outland Clans: Natural catastrophe, stop seeking reasons

Design Principle: Don’t canonize one interpretation. Let players decide what they believe.

Ambiguity as Feature

Leave room for uncertainty: - Is the Voice Beneath real or mass delusion? - Does corruption preserve consciousness or puppet memories? - Are the Constellations alive or just patterns humans impose on stars? - Can the Shattering be undone, or would that erase everyone born after?

Design Principle: Unanswerable questions create richer stories than definitive answers.

In-World Documents

Use letters, journal entries, sermons, and reports to add authenticity:

Examples: - Captain Jorah’s log entries about discovering hidden islands - Brother Caelum’s corrupted sermon notes - Elder Council meeting minutes during refugee crisis - Kalis Dren’s “Testament of the Transformed”

Vignette Design Principles

Structure

Every vignette should follow this pattern:

  1. Scene Description (2-4 sentences)
    • Set atmosphere
    • Establish stakes
    • Provide context clues for skill checks
  2. Choices (2-4 options)
    • Each tied to different skill
    • Multiple approaches to same goal
    • Include non-action options (ignore, flee, wait)
  3. Skill Check (if applicable)
    • Difficulty visible to player
    • Success AND failure both interesting
    • Partial successes possible
  4. Outcome Text (2-3 sentences)
    • Immediate consequence
    • Reputation/resource changes
    • Hook to next stage or new opportunity
  5. Rewards/Consequences
    • XP (even on failure—you learn from mistakes)
    • Reputation changes across multiple factions
    • Items, currency, or quest progression
    • World state changes (flags, news spreads)

Key Design Rules

1. Skill Checks Matter

Different approaches reward diverse character builds:

Combat Example: - (Strength): Fight the bandits directly - (Cunning): Sneak past and ambush their leader - (Piety): Invoke constellation to terrify them - END 25: Outlast them in a chase

2. Reputation Cascades

Every choice ripples across factions:

Example—Helping Refugees: - +15 Outland Clans (compassion valued) - -10 Sky-Guild (economic burden) - +5 Clergy (charity is holy) - No effect on Rot-Touched (they don’t care)

3. Corruption Path Viable

High corruption isn’t “game over”—it’s an alternative playstyle: - Unlocks dark powers and abilities - Opens Rot-Touched faction questlines - Changes dialogue and available choices - Leads to different (but valid) ending

4. No “Wrong” Choices

Every outcome progresses the story:

Example—The Lost Merchant: - Help for free: +reputation, quest continues, moral victory - Demand payment: +coin, quest continues, pragmatic choice - Ignore: -reputation, different quest unlocks, consequence acknowledged

5. Emergent Narrative

Players create their own stories through accumulated choices:

Player Archetypes: - The Savior: High piety, Clergy aligned, fights Rot - The Pragmatist: Balanced skills, neutral factions, survives - The Corrupted: High corruption, Rot-Touched, embraces transformation - The Profiteer: High cunning, Sky-Guild, profit-focused - The Outcast: All factions hostile, survives through skill alone

6. Interconnected Systems

Skills, reputation, corruption, and items should interact:

Example—Confronting Brother Caelum: - (Strength): Fight him (straightforward) - (Piety): Exorcise him (requires Clergy reputation) - (Cunning): Steal Rot-Shard (requires alchemy knowledge) - Corruption 60+: Join him (unlocks hidden option) - Focus 5: Auto-succeed any check (resource management)

Interconnection Rules

Character Web

Every character should connect to 3-5 others:

Example—Priest Valeria: 1. Ally: Elder Mira (heals in secret) 2. Ally: Abbot Silas (shares healing knowledge) 3. Enemy: Sister Morrigan (ideological opposition) 4. Neutral: Captain Jorah (treated his wounds once) 5. Suspicious of: Merchant Vex (too many Rot-Shard sales)

Location Networks

Every location connects to 2+ regions and multiple story threads:

Example—Glimmering Spire: - Region: Bright Reaches (barely—Rot spreading) - Connected to: Skyport Eos (2 days), The Hollow (5 days) - Story Threads: Alchemist Kael’s research, Brother Caelum’s fall, ancient observatory - Factions: Archivists (historical interest), Clergy (abandoned chapel)

Faction Dynamics

Every faction has: - 2+ Allies: Cooperative relationships - 2+ Enemies: Active opposition - Neutral parties: Potential future allies/enemies

Mystery Layers

Every mystery should have: - 3-5 theories: Different interpretations - Evidence: Supporting each theory - Unanswerable core: Some questions remain open

Quest Arcs

Every quest should: - Connect to character: Driven by NPC motivation - Affect faction: Change reputation - Hook to larger arc: Part of bigger story - Consequences: World remembers your choice

Pacing Guidelines

Session Length Support

Short Sessions (5-10 minutes): - Single vignette resolution - Market transaction - Character stat review - Make Camp (heal/save)

Medium Sessions (10-20 minutes): - Complete quest stage - Explore new location - Craft items - Multiple vignette chain

Long Sessions (30+ minutes): - Multi-stage quest completion - Travel to new region - Major story arc progress - Complex decision with long-term consequences

Content Density

Every play session should include: - At least 1 meaningful choice - Some form of progression (skill XP, quest advance, item gain) - Narrative payoff (outcome text, reputation change, new information)

Avoid: - Grinding for resources - Empty “filler” content - Mandatory repetition - Gating story behind excessive skill checks

Content Philosophy

Living World

The Aetherium is a dynamic setting where: - Events have consequences: News spreads, factions react, world changes - Characters have agency: NPCs pursue goals independent of player - History is written by survivors: Different accounts of same events - Time matters: 3-7 day delays for news to travel between islands

Player-Driven Stories

The game supports: - Multiple playthroughs: Different faction alignments, skills, corruption levels - Emergent narratives: Your choices create unique story - Moral complexity: No “correct” path - Permanent consequences: Scars, deaths, faction locks

Expansion Framework

All content should: - Leave hooks: Unresolved threads for future quests - Build on existing: Reference past events and characters - Maintain consistency: Respect established lore and relationships - Allow contradiction: When narratively justified (unreliable narrators)

Example: Applying These Principles

Vignette: “The Screaming Bridge”

Location: Murky Chasm (dangerous settlement)

Scene: The rope bridge sways over the void. Thirty meters long, frayed in places. You hear screaming—human? Rot-Beast? Hard to tell. Halfway across, something moves in the shadows beneath.

Choices: 1. [Cross Quickly (END 30)] Sprint across before whatever’s below reaches you 2. [Examine First (Cunning)] Study the shadows, identify the threat 3. [Pray for Protection (Piety)] Invoke the Constellation of Light 4. [Go Around] Find another route (costs 10 Stamina, 1 hour)

Outcome (Cross Quickly - Success): Your feet pound wood. The bridge groans, ropes snap—but you’re faster. You reach the far side as something pale and writhing breaches the void below. You don’t look back.

Rewards: - +3 END XP - -5 Stamina (exertion) - Quest progresses - Flag set: “witnessed_void_creature” (affects later dialogue)

Outcome (Examine - Success): You peer into the darkness. Rot-vines. Dozens of them, pulsing with bioluminescence. They’re growing UP from below, reaching for the bridge. The screaming is wind through hollow stems. You know when to cross now—between pulses.

Rewards: - +3 CUN XP - -2 Stamina (careful observation) - +1 Corruption (prolonged exposure) - Quest progresses with advantage (next check -5 difficulty) - Codex entry unlocked: “Void-Vines”

Outcome (Pray - Success, Clergy reputation 20+): Holy light blazes from your hands. The shadows recoil, hissing. The Constellation of Light has heard you. The bridge steadies, glowing with divine radiance. You cross in perfect safety.

Rewards: - +4 PIE XP - -1 Favor spent - +5 Clergy reputation (miracle witnessed by others) - Quest progresses - Buff: “Blessed” (+5 to all checks for 1 hour)

Outcome (Go Around): You find a narrow ledge along the chasm wall. Slower, safer. The screams fade behind you. Sometimes wisdom is knowing when not to test fate.

Rewards: - -10 Stamina (longer route) - No XP (avoided challenge) - No reputation change - Quest progresses - Flavor text acknowledges pragmatism

Analysis: - ✅ Multiple skill approaches - ✅ Success and failure both interesting - ✅ Reputation affects outcomes - ✅ Non-action option included - ✅ World-building through description - ✅ Consequences beyond immediate scene - ✅ Tone: Dark but not hopeless - ✅ Mystery: What ARE those vines? Where from?

Document Status: Living document
Last Updated: Year 287 S.
Purpose: Ensure narrative consistency across all SkyLands content

“Every word matters. Every choice echoes. Write stories worthy of the dying world.”