You'll see the sun rising above these lands. The lands we explored, the civilizations we built, and the bonds we formed. This is our world, our home.
Let this be the torch we pass to you. The mountains you'll climb, the people you'll meet, the secrets you'll find. These lands are our words, that we wrote with our souls, our glimmer of light. We are watching.
We'll remember you not by what you defeat, but by the stories you'll write.
Akenland is a fantasy roleplaying game with a focus on not just telling the player a story, but letting the player write their own story.
As the player explores four unique regions, each with their own culture and philosophies, they overcome challenges that can be resolved through diplomacy, combat, or building. The methods chosen by the player can have far-reaching consequences, shaping both the player’s own story and the world at large.
The player to free to choose how they complete most challenges. The player may use diplomacy, such as negotiating a trade agreement, engage in combat, such as stealing resources, or contribute to buildings that allow a town to be self-sufficient.
Depending on which path the player chooses, it can result in consequences which may make future challenges more difficult. For example, if a player chooses to engage in a battle, it may be harder to later negotiate a peace treaty.
The world is divided into four regions, or farthings: the hard-working Wargs in the west, the affluent Ebori in the east, the nature-preserving Sholks in the north, and the mysterious Rhùns in the south.
Each has different beliefs and ethics, even language varies somewhat between farthings, and the player’s actions will be preceived differently depending on which farthing they are in.
The core gameplay requires the player to be able to:
To give weight to the consequences, and encourage the player to at least consider all three paths, some lore/worldbuilding may need to be incorporated, but is not strictly needed nor does it need to be heavily fleshed out. Alternatively or in addition, the player may encounter a second challenge, where their choices on how to complete may vary based on how the first challenge was completed.
The people of Akenland all belong to one of four farthings, which defines the foundation of their thoughts and actions.
The Wargs live in the forests and mountains of western Akenland. Their beliefs are simple and rooted in practicality - what they need to do to survive.
The Ebori live in the plains of eastern Akenland. They have a focus on grandeur, with large and well-decorated cities and castles. Eborin is ruled by the Thaindom, a realm with history and class, notable for using its immense wealth to bring, or sometimes avoid, great change throughout the world.
The Sholks live in the mountains off the north coast of Akenland. They are deeply and spiritually connected to nature and animals, and focus on preserving life. Sholkingham’s population is sparser than the more central farthings, which can lead to them seeming more distant and isolated.
The Rhùns live in the varied biomes off the south coast of Akenland. Like the diverse terrain where they live, Rhùns are unpredictable and chaotic. Similar to Sholkingham, Rhùns can be distant, both physically and socially, and both serve as a defense mechanism to protect the Rhùns from each other and outside influences.
Medieval-like world, with limited technology
Akenland is the name of the central continent where Waramon and Eborin are located. It is largely temperate, albeit colder in the north, and warmer near the south coast.
Sholkingham refers to all land north of Akenland. Most of this land is colder and not explored, so Sholkingham civilizations tend to be at the south end, nearest Waramon. As a result, Wargs and Sholks have some overlap in culture.
Rùnnach refers to all land south of Akenland. This region has some areas with unique and varied climates, such as Quimir’s Keep, a volcanic land of black sand and obsidian. Because of the vast and treacherous terrain, much of Rùnnach is unexplored, so the largest civilizations are nearest Eborin. Like Wargs and Sholks, there is culture overlap between Ebori and Rhùns.
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Akenland, at its heart, is a story about four factions and their evolving relationships to each other. Each is not merely a single entity, but rather a collection of characters with common beliefs, that have found each other and come together. This is a story of teamwork, found families, and discovering one’s place in the world.
The player is the master of their own destiny, they have choices in how they interpret and handle many challenges within the game. However, the player is not, or rather, cannot be an ideal hero; a perfect being who can do no harm. The nature of characters with opposing viewpoints is that it is not possible to please everyone. No matter how much it is avoided, there is always a downside to any action. The player’s choices ultimately determine where they fit into the overall story.
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