Island of Winds News

We are stoked and so excited to participate in the Steam Next Fest this June!

Balance Keeper lore does not mention the Moss Mice, but there are accounts of strange occurrences where parts of the land seem to “spring alive” and “rise from their roots as if suddenly growing feet”. Such descriptions have generally been regarded as stemming from either the overactive imagination of lonely souls or the hallucinations of exhausted travelers. Sightings have supposedly included living grass, rocks, snow and sand, all of which share the common theme of one single entity acting like a mother to a litter of crawling creatures that most resemble mice. By all accounts, they are harmless beings which disappear as soon as they sense the presence of others. Are the Moss Mice affected by whatever evil is sweeping the land?

Húmabryðja
Hidden away for a lifetime, most of the Balance Keepers have never met Húmabryðja, but all of them have heard the stories. She is as old as Hrymja, if not older, and used to be the resident alchemist. Her deep relationship with plants and insects led to her obsession with spiders. She listened intently to them, slowly coming to understand their ways, learning to follow their trails to make ever new discoveries in the realm of herbology. She began thinking like a spider, moving like a spider, behaving like a spider. She slithered her way into the crevices of the land to discover a world of flora she had no idea existed. Her alchemy took on a new design. She continued her regular output of herbal remedies for Hrymja, but in secret she began working a new alchemical magic on her own body. Little by little she began transforming her physical form to better reflect her newfound inner life. Once her transformations had begun, Húmabryðja stopped visiting the village of Dreitill, choosing rather to live out her life amongst her new siblings in the shadows of the Spider Caves.

Icelandic trolls can´t be categorized as a precise whole so we do have a few versions to represent them in the game. One of these are the Rock trolls


Rock trolls in Island of Winds

Rock trolls can move beneath mountain and hill, but can only enter the overworld through stone surfaces that represent points of contact with the underground. Such places of power are usually recognizable by a higher number of troll faces in the rocks, at least to those who know how and where to look.

Each rocky region is ruled over by a master troll and in the Gorge, that troll goes by the name of Skolli. Rock trolls are reclusive creatures and seeing one out and about is a rare occurrence. Some say a troll sighting brings luck; others deem it an omen of ill tidings. Legend has it that when many trolls go on the march, a great calamity is imminent. But be reminded the trolls are not at fault. There are different and more evil powers at work on the island.

Hrymja
Hrymja is Brynhildur´s mentor and the current leader of the Balance Keeper clan. Tasked with assisting nature and maintaining life on the island, as well as preserving harmony between humans and their hidden neighbors. She has been sensitive to elemental magic since childhood and lived in close contact with the hidden powers of the land. Hrymja works as a healer and often goes on trips in order to help both people and animals, as well as bringing talented outcasts to her home fjord of Dreitill. That is how she came across Brynhildur, all those years ago. She trained her as a member of the Balance Keepers and together the clan sustains the natural parity of this world. Hrymja presents a rough side to any and all outsiders, but once accepted into her company one will discover a warm and enchanting presence. Now that she has disappeared, the beautiful Dreitill seems cold and distant, like a body without a heart.