Story and Quests for Valnir Rok
Author Giles Kristian on how he created the Valnir Rok Story
Bestseller author Giles Kristian wrote the History of Valnir Island, “The Creation Myth of Valgardia, the World Between” and the game quests.
We asked him what it was like to write a Game Story and what he likes most on Valnir.
Why did you write for Valnir Rok?
Writing novels is solitary work. I sit there hour after hour, day after day, working on something which I know will not be finished for many months, even a year or more by the time it hits the shelves. The opportunity to write on Valnir Rok was exciting because I knew it would be very collaborative. Instead of every word, every decision coming from my own mind, now I would be brainstorming ideas with others. For example, say I have what I think is a great idea about adding a new character, the Scandinavian mythological creatures called Nøkken (similar to the German Nix). This mysterious being resides in lakes or ponds. Perhaps it is a grotesque creature, its eyes breaking the water to watch people as they walk by. Or perhaps our Nøkk is a handsome young man who tempts women to jump into the water so he can drown them. Sounds good…until the programmers say, ‘Great idea, but it’s going to take us a month to implement it.’ When you consider the hours of work just to program a simple object, such as a knapsack, you realise that the narrative design must go hand in hand with everything else.
Alternatively, the programmers might say to me, ‘We need a quest that will help the player advance their forging skills, from layman to master blacksmith.’ Okay, so I come back with a bunch of quests, for example the player must add human bones to the smelting process to create a better-quality iron (hmm… where are you going to get the bones from?), or perhaps you need to prove you can put the ‘breath in the blade’ – that beautiful effect which is seen in the best pattern-welded ‘Viking’ swords. Or maybe you must steal an axe from a troll in order to copy the design. Or maybe you must prove you can make a sword and pass it off as one made by a master smith. It’s a lot of fun coming up with this stuff.
How did you come up with the story of how the world of Valnir Rok was created?
I sat down with my writing partner, film director Philip Stevens, and together we just started coming out with ideas which sounded crazy. I mean, check this out, from the creation myth of Valgardia, the World Between: ‘The Great Sun burned, alone in the universe, growing and raging ever more fiercely until, at last, it cracked open like an egg and three gods emerged. They were Yggjur, god of battle, power and ambition, Tjosull, god of the forge, invention, trade and cunning, and Kerska, goddess of hearth and home, agriculture, fertility, sex and love. The broken pieces of the Great Sun became the new sun, the moon, the stars and the earth.’
We really got into it and by the end we thought, you know what, this is no crazier than some of the major world religions! Certainly, it makes about as much sense as the Norse creation myth. Phil and I write screenplays together, so we’re quite comfortable suggesting ideas which normally you might be too embarrassed to voice. The hard part with writing for Valnir Rok was making sure that the story and quests work within the constraints of the game itself, which gave me a few headaches. Technically, a game such as this is incredibly complicated, not least because everything you do as a player could potentially affect the other 200 players on the server. Writing stories with multiple strands under those circumstances is challenging. Also, the dialogue has to be kept very short (no one wants to read loads of on-screen text), though I like to add a little humour where I can. It’s always a learning curve, but when that learning curve involves trolls, walking dead, Vikings, werewolves and even a dragon or two, what’s not to like?
What is the best part of the story?
I like how there are vestiges of older worlds and lost civilisations still in evidence on Valnir Island. From a story perspective, these abandoned elven cities, dwarven mines, mountain caves once inhabited by the gods etc, give us opportunities to create scenarios where the present world and the old world come into contact. Be careful or you might disturb the dead in their burial mounds. Watch out for priests whose meddling in ancient magic might have disturbed a dark power which will threaten all life on Valnir Island. There’s so much to discover, if you’ve got what it takes. And if you don’t piss off the gods! Furthermore, the blending of Norse culture and society with Norse mythology and our own invented mythology, creates a rich and varied world where so much is possible, for good or bad. In fact, who wouldn’t want to get shipwrecked and stranded on Valnir Island? In nothing but your underwear. Surrounded by the butchered corpses of your shipmates.
What do you like most about Valnir Rok?
I love the choices. You might decide you want to be a mercenary. You might seek to earn money as a craftsman or a hunter, or a thief, robbing travellers and selling your booty in the towns. You might have ambitions to rule a clan or live as a simple healer. Or you might choose to live in a forest in the middle of nowhere, pour yourself a drink, put your feet up and watch the world burn. It’s up to you how you want to live, what reputation you want to earn for yourself. I love the idea that over time you’ll get to know everyone else who is playing on your server. You’ll know who you can trust and who you can’t. Who will make a good ally in a fight and who might make an easy target if you’re a little short of money. You’re a Viking, after all. Leave your morals at the door.
To find out more about Giles Kristian and his bestselling Viking novels, see his website www.gileskristian.com and follow him on Facebook facebook.com/GilesKristian and Twitter @GilesKristian