Summer of Lore #9: The Fairy's Ride

About the song:

This song is known as a "never ender" because there are so many verses, it is very difficult (if not impossible) to sing it in one sitting. Dorian's limit is 30 verses in one sitting.

The song tall of a fairy that befriends a falcon, and every day,the falcon visits her and tells her of the places he's seen as he flies around the world. He offers to take the fairy on a trip around the world, and she agrees--the majority of the verses list a place that exists (or once existed) on Shokiyu

Summer of Lore #8: The Second Appearing

About the story:

This is the first episode of the Second Gemsinger's adventure, detailing his awakening and how he overthrew a cruel king with his newfound power. It is generally agreed that the Second Gemsinger was of noble birth, but his ranking depends on whoever is telling the story. It is one of the longer stories, so it is itself often split into several episodes.

When Dorian tells it, he prefers to make him a lord of the court

The basic bones of the story:

A long time ago, the humans of Shokiyu cried under the oppression of a cruel king. A lord of the court (the noble's ranking differs depending on who is telling) hears the rumors of the king trying to summon a demon and vows to tell the people what is really going on under the guise of magical research. He finds out the rumors are true, but when he tells the Seer what he discovered, he learns of a prophecy that "a royal Gemsinger will topple the demon summoner, bringing  Shokiyu to peace."

The king figures out that someone knows about his plot, captures the noble's family, and holds them hostage. The noble, meanwhile, busts them out during the night, but when he confronts the prison guards, he actually sings a spell in his anger

Once his family is safe, the Seer opens his heart and discovers it glows with every color of magic (twelve in the novel, eight in the game)

After honing his power and several more adventures, the noble and the king meat for a final climatic battle, and the newly awakened Second Gemsinger wins, putting a kind and just ruler on the throne. He is then charged with the Quest from his new king.

Summer of Lore #7: The Song Within the Waterfall

About the song:

One of Dorian's signature songs, this song tells the story of an artist that seeks to paint a picture of a waterfall, but the rainbows reflecting from the water lead him to an enchanted instrument that belonged to an elven hero (what this instrument is differs from minstrel to minstrel, and even between performances)

Dorian prefers to make the discovered instrument a lute or a harp (as those two are what he can play), but on one occasion when Miresa was roped into the show, he made it a flute so she could play the solo at a pivotal point where the instrument is played.

Summer of Lore #6: The Legend of the Spellsong

About the Story:

This tale tells how the art of spellsinging came to be, thanks to a mage that discovered it by accident (after some trial and error), and taught it to the First Gemsinger.

The basic bones of the story:

A mage is in his lab working on new ways to cast magic when suddenly, he manages to cast a spell by singing.  After a little trial and error, (as well as some bouts of magically induced exhaustion), he learns that spellsinging takes more effort than channeling it through an instrument or weapon.

The First Gemsinger comes to him not long after, seeking information on how to defeat a monster guarding a sigil (what monster and what sigil differ depending on who is telling the story) The mage shows him the spellsong, and ask if he wants to learn. He proves to be diligent student, even using it to defend the mage's tower from demon bent on learning spellsongs themselves.

To this day, every Gemsinger (and any allies of theirs) has the art of spellsong, in memory of the First Gemsinger. 

Summer of Lore #5: Colors of Her Heart

An original novel exclusive song by Dorian, when he spots Miresa dancing to the dance tune "Red Wyvern Hunting" during a break in the Jewel Tournament.

Before the band plays "Red Wyvern Hunting", she tells him  it is her favorite tune to dance to (because the local band always played it at dances)

Not surprisingly, the song incorporates parts of "Red Wyvern Hunting" into the tune.

A sample verse:

The clearest image I remember that day
As we rested out of the arena's fray
We waited for the band to start
Her smile radiated the colors of her heart

Summer of Lore #4: The Girl Who Spoke With Dragons

About the Story:

This tale explains how dragons came to Shokiyu, thanks to a brave maiden and her companion (usually a cougar or a falcon, but foxes, unicorns, and wyverns are not unheard of)

The basic bones of the story:

One day, the heroine is informed by a great wizard about a creature said to be a giant wyvern with the strength of a hundred humans in the mountains. With the wizard's help, the heroine and her companion trvel to the mountains, and befriend the creature,  which the wizard learns is its own distinct species--in fact, the ancient word for dragon, according to this tale,  literally means "large wyvern"

While the majority of people are awed and amazed at the dragons, there are some that would kill them for their own gains, and it is one of these the heroine, the wizard, and her companion defeat, ensuring that the dragons survive on Shokiyu to this day 

Summer of Lore #3: The Arrow Rose Again

About the Song:

"The Arrow Rose Again" tells a heartwarming tale about how a swordswoman talks an archer into saving a baby phoenix, and how the phoenix helps both of them in return.

This song is especially popular among the humans of the east continent and the avris--Leria is sometimes referred  to as "The Phoenix Queen" , because of how she restored the throne to life after driving away a cruel rival. Because of this, phoenixes often appear on royal documents and heraldry.

The avris, however, see the phoenix as a god and the totem of the Ruby Clan, so when minstrels visit their lands, they often request this song.

First Look: Mt. Sayamir

Here's a first look at Mt. Sayamir, where the Ice Shrine is located...

The Summer of Lore #2: A Duel For a Daughter

About the story:

The story tells of how the legendary sword Glorious Heaven was made, as result of a father saving his  daughter from a kingdom ruled by an evil king

The basic bones:

A father has a daughter he loves very much. One day, messengers from a neighboring kingdom ask that their king take her hand in marriage. The father says no, as he knows that land's king is evil. During the night, the daughter is captured by the king's spies,  and the father sets out to rescue her. When he arrives in the neighboring kingdom, he is mistaken for the leader of a resistance movement that seeks to depose the evil king and put the rightful heir, a kind prince, on the throne/ With help from the resistance movement, the father chases down the spies, and with the help of Glorious Heaven, saves his daughter after an epic duel

In the end, the father is hailed as a hero, and the daughter marries the kind prince. 

The Mage's Appeal

Here's some info aboutone of the upcoming tournament's events--the Mage's Appeal:

In The Mage's Appeal (name is tentative for now), aspiring mages from around the world are given a chance to show off their brilliance in a contest excluded to the glittering ring of Taraka.

Objective: The objective is to hit 100 points. For each spell you use, you can a certain number of points. You will be matched up with three other mages. The other mages will use spells to take points away from you. You have 10 (maybe 20) turns to achieve your objective. The goal is to play intelligently, to save your AP, and defeat the other mages.

AP (Name can be changed): AP, or Appeal Points is what you use to cast spells. You have a set starting number of AP (Though through shopping in the Appeal shop, you can also increase your starting AP). From using spells, your AP goes down. AP is not rechargeable during a contest, so you must wisely conserve your AP while reaching for 100 points.

Appeal Spells: Appeal spells are unique to contests. Galia will be given four basic spells to start with. They will be divided into four categories. (Haven't decided what the categories are, could possibly include: Strength, Virtue, Intelligence, Spirit). Appeal spells can be bought in the Appeal shop through CP (contest points, which are earned through victory at the tournament).

The Summer of Lore #1: The Sword of the Light Goddess

About the song:

Like many songs of Shokiyu, this song tells a story.

The basic storyline goes that a wanderer loses his way in the mountains. He befriends the goddess of light, and the two become close friends, eventually falling in love. One day, a dragon threatens to destroy a shrine of the light goddess, and she charges her beloved to slay the dragon.

As with all oral tradition, no two minstrels sing exactly the same version--common variations include how the dragon was slain, and in some regions, a different monster.

The game has its own blog now!

Check it out here!

Of course, any material there will  also be cross posted here

The Summer of Lore

It's no secret that I've hardly posted anything this year--so this summer, I've decided to call the Summer of Lore.

Why?

Because Shokiyu (in both its forms), has an immense amount of lore besides the Gemsinger story, so at least once a day, I plan to introduce you to some of Shokiyu's other tales and songs that a minstrel like Dorian would know.

The quest begins June 1 and ends September 30.

She's back...

Halliwen returns in the Ice Challenge Dungeon...and thinks she is the real Gemsinger...until she tries to sing.

We're still alive!

In this quick update, see the ice challenge dungeon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PEUGFSQBuc

Mirime's Past and a New Character!

In this video, we learn about Mirime's past via a new character--a recordkeeper named Nauwyn Rivermist.

Take a look

The Evolution of Gemsinger: Draft R

This is the draft that actually made a lot of progress before our current draft: See part 1

Ability Symbols

In our latest video, we introduce Ability Symbols and a new character--Randion Firelight.

See him in action.

Things to do before Demo 2 is released

From my partner:

 Make the watchpost event
   Add NPCs to Selance (and castle)
   Finish the Selance Magic Shop
   Add new enemies to the Forest of Dawn
   Finish Neras
   Make the lighthouse
   Make the magic guild
   Finish Kythria
   Make Ability Symbols
   Create the Ice Challenge Dungeon
   Make enemies in the Water Shrine
   Add enemies to the Glace Forest
   Finish Seppen
   Finish Kinuli
   Touch up on overall maps
   Add new spells
   Finish the fishing minigame
   Make new sidequests
   Add items to the shops
   Create new accessories
   Create new items
   Create battle items
   Finish Selance
   Finish Chapter 3

So, as you can see, I've still got a lot to do left before a demo is ready. I'll update you on progress as time goes on.

New item: Firewater

In this video, we introduce a new item that essentially triggers "Berserk" when used in battle. Here in Shokiyu, the same effect is called "Enraged"

An enraged character can't be player controlled, and will randomly use their attack abilities, which do a lot more damage.

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1f89Ry608Q