ThatMadMan 

My dear friends! The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here! Our card game—a metaphor for the job of a slaver—is almost ready! Just a bit of polish left: adding sound effects, a few animations, tweaking the existing ones, and—voilà! The demo will be released for free with some limitations, so everyone can get a taste. 😉 For now, come feast your eyes on the teaser and let the anticipation build!

The City of Chains isn’t as grim as it sounds. Tiled roofs, blooming flowerbeds, fountains in the squares — it’s cozy, almost homely. Slaving? Just business, like selling cloth. The Slavers’ Guild runs the town, pays the locals, and keeps everything in line. Auctions are part of the daily hum, no fuss or drama. In this busy rhythm lives a family the locals call the Aces, though their names are a bit more tangled. Everett, Velil, and Kaiser — folks you hear about over a mug of ale, their surnames telling a story.

**Everett Buckler-Ace**, the Guild’s lieutenant and the Guildmaster’s right hand, keeps order with an iron grip. Her surname’s like her style: *Buckler* nods to her husband, a broad-shouldered innkeeper, while *Ace*, her maiden name, says she has the final say. She’s stern, but *Buckler* first hints at a care for her husband, tucked behind her sharp gaze.

**Velil Buckler** owns *The Skull in Malt*, a tavern. Tall, with platinum braids and a kind smile, his surname, *Buckler* — “small shield” — fits him: steady but easygoing, he’d rather pour *Tears of the Skull* for guilders than deal with auctions. Mention Everett, and he tugs his braid with a shy smile, and his eyes spark, like he’s happy she’s in charge.

**Kaiser Ace** runs the auctions, an administrator who makes every sale a show. His surname, *Ace*, is his mother’s legacy, marking him as the best at his game. No *Buckler*, he’s all Everett, but he values his dad: slings *Pale Tremor* at the tavern and teases that Velil’s the “shield” to mom’s “sword.” Kaiser shines, but always glances at his mother.

Their names are like notes in the Guild’s ledgers. Everett’s *Buckler-Ace* is her control and care for Velil. Velil’s *Buckler* is his warmth behind the bar. Kaiser’s *Ace* is his flair, but under his mother’s wing. In the City of Chains, where auctions are like morning coffee, this family keeps its pace: business, ale, and a soft whisper behind the tavern’s curtain.

Stop by *The Skull in Malt*, order a *Dust of the Veil*. You’ll catch Kaiser teasing Velil about “mom’s ways” while he grumbles back. Just daily life, but with a hint of something hidden behind the tiled roofs.

Hey everyone! Time to meet the wild new trio from the City of Chains — Guild members who sparked a proper brawl in the tavern! I’m thrilled with how their personalities turned out, and today I’m sharing their first art pieces. Ready for another taste of the Valley of Hem? Let’s dive in! 😎

In our prelude, Alric spends a day in the City of Chains, where charming cottages and flowerbeds mask the harsh reality of the Slavers Guild’s auctions. One of his choices is to hit the tavern, where a fight might break out. And here’s the crew that started it:

Papa M: Looks calm and level-headed, but his stare screams, “Uh, what’s that supposed to mean?” This guy doesn’t pick fights, but he’s ready to throw down if pushed.

Mashka: Not a goblin, but an orc — in our setting, the difference isn’t as big as in classic fantasy. Her sly grin betrays a master of cussing, outswearing not one sailor, but a whole crew of 20!

Hunter: A polished thug who loves dressing sharp. You can tell he’s always up for a scrap, but he does it with style.

This trio may be side characters, but their vibes bring the City of Chains to life. In the tavern scene, built on Ren'Py, you might face them in a fighting-game-style mini-game, where Alric’s choices shape his path.

Check out the art and share your thoughts! More scenes or lore coming soon. Which of these three speaks to you? Want to know more about their role in the brawl? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

Using his ability to control the chains, Kaayn really got free. But despite the terrible suffering, he did not hold a grudge against his friend, as he understood the reasons for his action. With difficulty, he reached a remote Revenant settlement, and his appearance (he still had no skin, he was exhausted and tormented by persistent pain. He interacted with the outside world only with the help of chains embedded in his body, like a giant grotesque spider, for his own body was shackled by pain and did not obey him) impressed them very much. Before that, there were legends about him among the Revenants, but no one knew before what really happened to him. Kaayn founded a small cult with their help, receiving the initiation name Kathean - "The Chainer". He did not manifest himself and lived in seclusion while his followers did all the work. At that time, in the Hem Valley (the name of the area where the events take place.), the institution of slavery was gaining momentum, and cultists no longer attacked peaceful people, conducting rituals with slaves specially bought for this (that is, by local standards, they acted within the law).

After a while, The Chainer completely recovered, and he got tired of playing God. He abandoned his followers, advising them to stop playing games, abolish the cult and live according to their conscience (as far as one can imagine a conscience in such creatures as Revenants). No one ever saw him again (or if they did, they didn't recognize him, because now he no longer looked different from the others, and he carefully hid his chains under his clothes). So, Kathean Kaayn was gone. But his followers did not listen to his words, and the cult stayed, gaining quite a lot of popularity in the future. And Aurelian, understanding everything and considering himself responsible for the emergence of the cult, did not ban it, and only issued several laws regulating its activities.

In real-time events, the cult has been around for thousands of years, and has undergone many changes. Kathean Kaayn is considered an invisible and intangible deity, who was named the God of Coercion. It is especially popular among some members of the Slavers Guild, who believe that by sacrificing to Kathean they attract good luck in their work. Worship of the cult is not very approved within even the Guild itself, which adheres to pragmatic views, but since this is not a violation of anything, no sanctions are imposed for it, the followers of the cult are simply looked at as cranks (there is a small parallel with modern Masons, however, in a much darker version). It is clear that no Kathean is already present in the cult, either visibly or invisibly. This is well known to the priests of the temple, who all possess the magic of the earth, which includes the ability to control metals, and significantly tear apart and drag away the bodies of slaves after a ritual slaughter. Such a show allows the cult to maintain popularity.

This piece won't be so detailed in the main game, so I don't think it's a spoiler, but it gives an idea of the game's universe, so I'll just leave it here to saturate the blog with various information.

In ancient times, two revenants (energy vampires) lived in the Valley of Hem, they were bosom friends during their lifetime and remained so after the transformation. One of them, named Aurelian, became an Emperor, because he was able to lead people by the power of words, he was also called the Golden Tongue. The second, named Kaayn, became his commander. Kaayn soon discovered that the more energy they suck out of sane beings, the stronger they become. They (he and his soldiers) began to keep people like cattle, sucking them out by the hundreds, and even drank their real blood and made sacrifices. The Emperor did not like it, he came to Kaayn and demanded to stop the tyranny over people.

But Kaayn refused him outright, citing the necessary sacrifices for the sake of might, and also believing that the Golden Tongue would not dare to go against his closest friend. He was mistaken: The Emperor ordered to skin him alive and chain him in a distant cave underground so that he could not even feel the faraway breath of a living person and could not be cured. All those who tried to enter the cave where Kaayn was languishing were executed by the Emperor. He issued laws that established rules for feeding from people. Revenants cannot live without human energy, but since then, no one, under threat of death, could do this arbitrarily and without knowing the measure.

Later, the story tells that Kaayne, locked up for eternal suffering in prison, who had accumulated impressive strength before, learned over the years to control the chains as if they were his own limbs. Years passed, and Aurelian softened towards his friend, his conscience began to torment him. Accompanied by his retinue, he personally descended to the prison appointed by himself, but he no longer found Kaayne or the chains binding him there.

I had spent the previous week working on the brothel scene, including designing the prostitutes, writing backgrounds for each of them, preparing the arts, and then assembling it all into a single scene. There's still a long way to go, but here's what it looks like. All characters on the screen are already interactive.

In order for anyone interested to understand the intrigue, I’ll tell you a little about the world of the game. (illustrations are not full-fledged art, but are fast neural network generation for clarity)

Here, there is a planet very similar to our Earth with the development of civilization in the style of alternative history at the level of the 17-18 centuries.

A long time ago, a comet flew to this planet and left a huge crater on the continent. People on the rest of the material do not know what is inside this less, because when humanity tried to conduct an expedition, strange and terrible things began to happen to the researchers. When crossing the mountain separating the crater from the rest of the world, they were first seized by wild fear. If, despite the fear, they decided to move on, then the fear would develop into panic, later unbearable headaches would appear, and in the end, the body would become exhausted. Well, mechanical gadgets like compasses on the approaches to the valley were simply rearranged. In general, those who did not return back, probably died there. This place was called Terra Incognita.

The prologue takes place in the original and rather deeply written world of Medieval fantasy. There is an abundance of black-and-gray morality, and in plenty of signs of grimdark - all kinds of mess are demonstrated here quite naturally, at least what would seem mess to a modern Europeanized person. We don’t give a damn about morality and, in addition, show it in the form of a comfortable and colorful picture, casually and with a fair amount of humor.

So, for example, our main character (whose role the player will take on) is called Alric, at the time of the events of the game he is 26 years old, and he is an officer of the Slavers Guild - a completely legal structure that has a good reputation, resources, connections and a code of honor and even "holds" a separate city. At the beginning of the story, the management sends him on a “business trip” - to open a new branch of the Guild abroad. Apart from the fact he will have to go alone and on foot, and in all other countries slavery has long been banned...

How our hero came to live like this will be in the next post, but for now here’s a few pieces of art to catch up with you.

Hi all. My name is That Mad Man and I've wanted to make games for a long time. However, in order to make a game, at least two more enthusiasts would be needed: an artist and a coder. I like to consider myself a great storyteller and character designer, so there was no need for someone like that. I would try to learn how to be a man-orchestra and spend the next few years of my life on it. And if doing it during breaks between work, hmmmm...

The development of neural networks saved the day: an artist is no longer needed, and a text assistant can advise on the code. My basic skills in all areas help to obtain high-quality results. About this, and in general - what it’s all about - in the next post.