Erannorth Renaissance News

Hi folks,

You can now try Erannorth Renaissance for free with our newly released demo. Dive into deep character customization, tactical turn-based combat, and the rich narrative and sandbox world that define the game. The demo is based on the current live Early Access build, and aside from a few minor restrictions, you can play as much as you like to see if it's a game you'd enjoy.

So, what's missing? For one, updates. The demo version won't receive updates and isn't supported in any way. Steam achievements are also disabled, as is the modding toolkit. However, you can still run mods if you install them locally, and you're free to create new ones using your favorite text editor and modding skills.

If you enjoy what you see, consider supporting the game. Just keep in mind that it's currently in Early Access and likely to remain so for another year or two, or three... In either case, have fun!

Hi folks!

Our next major update is underway and is expected to arrive in mid to late May. As development continues, you'll be able to access the latest stable builds through the beta branch if you want to dive in early and help squash any glaring bugs or share your feedback before the big release.

So, what’s in the Ironvein Hold update? Well, a lot of things. But let’s focus on what’s already available in beta build 0.7.02 right now.

First off, Dwarves!

Dwarves in Elos share many traits with their typical fantasy counterparts, but they’re also a little different. They don’t live deep in mountain mines. They live by rivers. If you’ve played Chronicles, you might remember them as the River Dwarves.

Their ancestors, the folk of Ironvein Hold, once lived deep beneath the mountains, carving their cities from stone and working metal with unmatched skill. But when the great earthquake shattered their homeland, they had no choice but to leave the caverns behind. They followed the rivers, searching for new lands, and there, in the heart of trade routes and waterways, they rebuilt as merchants and traders.



Though they are traders first, they haven’t forgotten how to fight. Their caravans are well-guarded, their ships armed, and their warriors trained to protect what is theirs. Bandits and raiders have learned to think twice before crossing a Dwarven merchant, the price of such folly is often paid in steel. The axe and hammer remain familiar weapons, but the spear, crossbow, and saber have found their place as well, suited for river skirmishes and caravan defense.

And of course, there's crafting.

Which brings us to the major feature of this update: a fully moddable crafting system.

Crafting in Erannorth Renaissance lets you combine 1 to 8 ingredients. If there’s a matching recipe, you’ll see the result before finalizing the combination. If there are multiple matches, you’ll be able to browse through them. Recipes can also require tools (which aren’t consumed), skill rolls, or even certain companions to assist you.

So, what can you craft? Pretty much anything.



The tech is flexible, and while it’s all there in the beta build, more recipes will be added as development continues, from Cooking to Herbalism and Alchemy. As of now, there are about 40 recipes to discover by experimenting with materials and ingredients.



So the next question is, of course: why craft? And how do all these items actually make sense in the world? Well, for starters, you can upscale items and sell them for profit. You can also use them to fulfill Supply Contracts, which can earn you money, better rewards, and experience.

And what about your adventures? Absolutely.

You may have noticed that you sometimes fail certain Discoveries or succeed in others. That’s because Discoveries have specific requirements, like Skill rolls, tools, and sometimes even items that can be consumed on success. The feedback system has been updated to give you more details about which checks or tools were needed, whether you succeed or fail.



Crafted items will get even more deeply integrated into the world as practical solutions to events down the road. You’ll get extra options in certain situations if you’re carrying the right gear. Having adventuring staples like torches, ropes, or even climbing tools might be the difference between a favorable outcome and a missed opportunity.

Now, as I mentioned, this update is expected to arrive sometime in May. It won’t be all work, though. I’ll be taking my Easter vacation for two weeks in April. Still, many more additions will make their way into the update before it goes public. If you’re curious or eager to try things early, feel free to switch to the beta branch and be among the first to experience the Ironvein Update as it takes shape. Whenever there's a new update in the beta branch, I'll be posting the patch notes in our Discord.

Have fun, and if you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below!

Hi folks,

Building a narrative-driven sandbox game means constantly juggling storytelling and gameplay systems. Stories take longer to develop, but new mechanics can be added and tested much faster. We could wait until more narrative content is ready, but I think there are already too many new systems that need testing. Rather than putting everything on hold, we can move forward to make sure these mechanics are fun for everyone and well-polished. Because, let's be honest, if I don't get your feedback, you will just end up with whatever I want. Not necessarily what you want.

The Oxgate update brings a bunch of new features, fixes, and improvements, along with some fresh and updated narrative content. We already covered Contracts in the previous Dev Journal. These are quick procedural jobs that give you a way to earn extra XP, coin, and items.



Another big addition in this update is Discoveries. As the name suggests, these are unexpected situations you might come across while traveling. They are not full events, just smaller moments where you can choose to react or ignore them. If you react, things will usually work out in your favor, though sometimes failure might bring a small setback. More often, it just means nothing happens. You will find these as you explore the world, adding more variety to your journey.





Traveling has also become a little more demanding. Non-vampire characters now have to deal with fatigue, while vampires must manage their thirst. If you keep moving without resting, or if a vampire goes too long without feeding, it will eventually start affecting your Hit Points. It will never drop you below 1 HP, but you probably do not want to be at 1 HP the next time bandits decide to corner you.

It's also hazardous for NPCs to feed while Ravenous.



There are also plenty of other improvements. New perks have been added, giving more options for character builds. Sandbox mode now makes it easier to recruit adventurers to fill out your party. And for those who want to fully embrace the nocturnal lifestyle, you can now start sandbox mode as a vampire.



With all these changes, exploration will feel both more dynamic and rewarding. Whether you are taking on Contracts, stumbling upon Discoveries, or simply going about your day-to-day life, the world of Erannorth just got a little richer.

But development is a constant cycle of implementing, enhancing, refining, and repeating. While we have completed the map for the kingdom of Doven, the places within it still need more depth. We need more stories and quests to truly bring the world to life. That is why, for the next few updates, we will be staying in this region and expanding everything with more content, before moving to other parts of the world. We still have an outlook of two to three years and we are way ahead of schedule, so one freelance writer and I will be on this task. As always, the next update will come as soon as it is ready, whether that is earlier or later.

In addition to preparing more scenes with the story companions, both intimate and otherwise, there are a few new stories in the works, along with the Ironvein Hold and playable Dwarves.

In the meantime, have fun, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below!



[h2]Patch Notes - 18/03/25 # 0.6.85[/h2]

[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]

• Fixed an issue where a certain woodland event choice could be repeated indefinitely.
  
• Overworld action cooldowns are now properly saved.
  
• Fixed an issue where you could rest at the Golden Sparrow Inn before speaking with Olivia.
  
• Skipping time without any world actors in the overworld will now properly refresh the tile inspector as needed.
  
• Fixed an issue where the camp's campfire could disappear on certain occasions.
  
• You can now talk to your non-story companions in camp with the correct interaction option. No more accidentally pickpocketing your party members!
  

[h3]New Content[/h3]

Contracts System

• Contracts are procedurally generated side quests that range from escorting NPCs and hunting bounties to clearing lairs and delivering goods. Success builds trust and opens new opportunities, while failure, betrayal, or unforeseen risks can shape your reputation and standing in the world.
  
• Contracts can offer a variety of randomized rewards.
  
• Added UI for viewing and accepting regional contracts.
  
• Introduced procedurally generated regional contracts.
  
• Currently, the following types of regional contracts are available:
  
  
  
  • Escort: Safely transport an NPC from one location to another.
    
  • Bounty: Track and bring a wanted criminal to justice.
    
  • Lair: Eliminate all hostiles in a designated area.
    
  • Supply: Deliver a shipment of goods to a certain NPC.
    
  • Explore: Explore a location and report back to the contractor NPC.
    
  
  
• Active Escort Contracts will appear on both the Map and the Contracts UI.
  
• Bounty contract destinations are initially hidden, but locals in the region can be questioned for information.
  
• Once a bounty’s location is discovered, it will be revealed on the Map.
  
• When you have an active contract and are in the contractor's tile, a discovery text will prompt you to wait for them.
  
• After bringing an adversary to justice or causing their death while completing a bounty contract, all other contracts involving that actor become void.
  

Weariness System

• Characters accumulate fatigue for every two hours spent without rest in the overworld map. Once fatigue exceeds healthy levels, they begin losing 2 HP per excess turn until they recover.
  
• Vampire characters do not experience fatigue but instead gain hunger, which functions the same way. Hunger can be satiated by feeding, preventing further penalties.
  
• Updated Feeding Rules
  
  • As a vampire, you can now feed up to three times per day (24 hours).
    
  • The amount of HP and Hunger restored depends on the NPC's lifeforce.
    
  • Feeding on NPCs now harms them based on the vampire's hunger.
    
  • Completely draining an NPC gives them a 5% chance to turn into a vampire and a 20% chance to die.
    
  • If they survive a near-death experience, they become Wary of the player and can no longer be fed on.
    
• New passive: Blood Connoisseur +x, Feeding replenishes your hunger at an accelerated rate.
  

Discoveries System

• Discoveries are quick snippets of flavor that appear as you explore the overworld.
  
• Triggering a discovery grants a small amount of XP. Reacting to them often provides various rewards.
  
• Discoveries are fully moddable. While there isn't a UI tool at the moment, custom discoveries can be added as a JSON file in: Mods/My Modname/Discoveries/DiscoveriesDB.json
  
• Added Discoveries for: Plains, Woodlands, Forest, Hills, Highlands, Marsh & Water tiles.
  
• A sound notification now accompanies discoveries, as well as their success or failure outcomes.
  

New Items, Equipment & Perks

• Added new cloaks, now available for purchase from several tailor vendors.
  
• Added new Material, Junk, Ingredient & Valuable items.
  
• Added 42 new perks and their assorted actions.
  

New Locations & Interactions

• New point of interest in Llanford: Llanford's Lake.
  
• Added new types of fish and the ability to use your fishing rod to fish in specific locations, such as Llanford's lake.
  
• Added a Common Room to the Golden Sparrow, where you can quickly meet and recruit adventurers instead of searching around town.
  
• These adventurers start as blank slates with 9 SP, 2 PP, and a bonus weapon proficiency.
  
• You can hire these adventurers in story mode too, as long as your party has fewer than four companions.
  
• Vampire Adventurers (Elizabeth & Trajan) can only be recruited by Vampire players.
  
• Added the Oxgate tiles and random actors. No merchants or vendors in the plague-ridden town at the moment.
  
• Added the option to start in sandbox mode as a vampire.
  

Miscellaneous / QoL Improvements

• Dead or arrested NPCs are removed from town and eventually replaced by a newly generated NPC.
  
• You can now use the 'Introduction' interaction multiple times whenever you meet a stranger.
  
• Clicking on an actor's portrait in the bottom UI now centers the camera on them instead of opening their character sheet. There's already a button for that just below their portrait.
  
• Smoothed out the transitions between different actors' turns.
  
• Move actions will now properly sound like footsteps.
  
• NPC actors can now be pickpocketed up to three times per day, but no more than once every 24 hours on the same person.
  
• When pickpocketing actors with fewer farthings than a certain threshold, you can now steal one of their items instead. Time to pickpocket some hacksaws and fishing rods!
  
• NPC actors' farthings are now replenished every 24 hours.
  
• Expanded the Reward strings with methods to drop random loot and accept Lua setters.
  
• Expanded the Requirement strings with methods to accept party rolls.
  

New Lua Methods

• Obligation(actorId, obligation, tile) – Sets an obligation for the actor.
  
• RemoveObligation(actorId, obligation) – Removes the obligation from the actor.
  
• (bool) HasObligation(actorId, obligation) – Checks if the actor has this obligation.
  
• (bool) AnyObligation(actorId) – Checks if the actor has any obligation.
  
• CompleteContract(actorId, type) / CompleteThisContract(type) – Successfully completes the actor's contract.
  
• EndContract(actorId, type) / EndThisContract(type) – Ends the actor's contract, marking it as failed.
  
• (bool) IsContractInProgress(actorId, type) – Checks if there is an active contract of that type with the specified actor.
  
• ConfirmContract(actorId, type) – Confirms that we have accepted that contract type from the actor.
  
• ClaimContract(actorId, type) – Successfully completes the actor's contract, but only if we are in the destination tile.
  
• (bool) CanClaimContract(actorId, type) – Have the actor's contract and we are in the destination tile.
  
• RevealContractDestination(type) - If a contract matches type and is the one we are asking about, we reveal the contract's destination.
  
• QuickEncounter() - Starts a lair encounter.
  
• PCFeedOn(actorId) - Properly handles the PC feeding on another actor.
  

Hi folks,

Steam Trading Cards are now live for Erannorth Renaissance! Along with them, you'll find exclusive profile backgrounds, emoticons, and, of course, badges to showcase your achievements in the world of Erannorth Renaissance.

Meanwhile, our next content update, unofficially dubbed Oxgate, is well underway, and if all goes as planned, it will be available to everyone by the end of the month. While the plague-ravaged town of Oxgate won’t introduce any new merchants or activities just yet, it plays a crucial role in completing the kingdom of Doven. With Oxgate in place, you'll finally have a fully connected region to explore, making your adventures even more immersive.



All the content in Erannorth Renaissance so far has been handcrafted by me and professional freelance writers. While it often includes many permutations and elements of randomness, the procedural factor has remained minimal.

A good example is the new lake area added in Llanford. It also serves as a nice backdrop for more intimate encounters.

While it may take a few passes to unearth all its secrets and you can use it for fishing, eventually, you will come to expect what you’ll find.

Our handcrafted content offers good replayability, but I want more. After all, Erannorth Renaissance isn’t just a story-rich game. It’s also a sandbox. This brings us to the major feature of the upcoming update: which are procedurally generated contracts.

Contracts are side quests that range from escorting NPCs and tracking bounties to clearing lairs and delivering goods. Success builds trust and opens new opportunities, while failure, betrayal, or unforeseen risks can shape your reputation and standing in the world. Friends can become rivals, rivals can become allies, and NPCs may end up arrested or dead—eventually replaced by others—gradually reshaping the fabric of the world with every action you take.

As of the development build 0.6.75, this system is well in place, most of the quirks are already ironed and you can test it out now in the beta branch. Currently, there are four types of regional contracts available:

- Escort – Safely transport an NPC from one location to another.
- Bounty – Track down and bring a wanted criminal to justice.
- Lair – Eliminate all hostiles in a designated area.
- Supply – Deliver a shipment of goods to a specific NPC.

Completing these contracts will grant various rewards, including farthings, experience, and randomized loot. Additionally, your actions will influence your relationships—positively or negatively—with the person issuing the job or the individual you're pursuing. Most importantly, this update establishes a solid framework that we can build upon and expand even further in the future.

I am looking for work in Valetport.

Escorting this Ulysses fellow sounds like a plan. Okay, so he wants to go outside of Llanford. See the gold pin?

Let's zoom out a bit. Okay, first we actually need to pick him up. That's the first marked tile.

I'm now in Keywick. My thirst is ravenous, but before grabbing a bite, let's see what's on offer here. Hmm, maybe tracking Alden—I’ll have to ask around and see if anyone in Keywick has spotted him. Now, off to feed!

Okay, full disclosure—I was looking for something to drink and instead stumbled upon my bounty. How quaint!

He tried to run, but oh well, I've seen plenty of runners before.

The majority of the new content will, of course, remain handcrafted. However, by blending handcrafted and procedural elements and weaving them together, I believe we can create even more dynamic and immersive adventures—making it truly your story.

So beyond the new contracts and shiny new cloaks, I've also introduced a fatigue system (or thirst for vampires). And depending on how much content I receive from my freelance authors by the end of the month, there may be even more.

In the meantime, you can join the beta and experience the Oxgate update as it takes shape. Your feedback is always welcome, so if you have any questions or suggestions, drop them in the comments!

Hi folks,

The Doven update is now live for everyone and includes many exciting additions and changes across the board.

Feature-wise, the highlights are the first iteration of sandbox mode along with full modding support. In addition, significant balance changes will impact both story mode and sandbox mode. And of course, the region of Doven is now open, bringing higher-level enemies, new gear, and more places to explore.

Last but not least, I had my freelance writers revisit some of their contributions. Either those that didn’t feel quite right or the ones you pointed out needed more attention.

Thank you all for your continued feedback, no matter the platform. No one can improve the game for you better than you. You can always reach me here, on Discord, or via email.

Ok, let's go into some more details!

[h4] Existing Saves still work, but...[/h4]

If you have an existing save, you can continue playing with it, but there are two big caveats.

1. The equipment you have equipped may now provide different bonuses. Unequipping it will remove the new bonuses it grants, not the ones you originally received. This means you might permanently retain some of its old benefits while also losing the difference in the new implementation.

2. The world will no longer scale down for you. For example, if you reach Denham as a level 7 character, you’re in for a nasty surprise—the enemies there will now be much higher level than you.

[h4]Sandbox[/h4]



The simplest way to put it is that Sandbox mode is Story mode without the story.

Sandbox mode offers a faster start, free from the constraints of the main quest. Aside from a brief introduction showing your arrival in Llanford, you choose your weapon and are left to explore the world with minimal guidance.

For example, you’ll quickly learn that having a party is essential for survival. Your first task is to gather one. You can recruit anyone in town to be your traveling companion—after a little convincing. Once you’ve assembled your party, you’re ready to set out and explore.





Of course, for Sandbox mode to make sense, there need to be more things to do now that the story and its companions are absent. As I’ve mentioned, the bulk of future updates will focus on expanding it.

We are about seven months into Early Access, which, as I’ve mentioned before, will be a long journey of at least two to three years—possibly longer. However, I want to clarify that this doesn’t mean Story mode will remain unchanged.

The main story will continue to receive exclusive additions, but most "endings"—or beginnings, as they truly are—won’t change much until v1.0. New content will expand on existing threads or tie into the main narrative. It will still connect to what’s already there, but these additions will mostly be side stories, character moments, and extra layers rather than major changes.

As for whether there will be more books that expand the plot, that’s something I’d certainly like. However, the goal was never to write an epic but to provide a foundation for you to create your own emergent adventure.

Naturally, most of the development focus is now on Sandbox mode, but that doesn’t mean Story mode is being left behind. The two are closely linked—after all, Story mode is just the sandbox with a structured narrative. Improving Sandbox mode naturally adds more depth to the game as a whole. The goal is to make both modes feel rewarding, whether you’re following the main story or exploring on your own.

[h4]Full Modding Support[/h4]

Modding support was already significant, but the biggest missing piece was the ability to add your own stories. This feature serves as the glue that ties everything together, from giving NPCs dialogue to creating your own adventures with combat, rewards, and more.

With this update, the full modding suite has been expanded. You can now export everything directly to local mod folders, which can be uploaded as Workshop mods without ever leaving the game.

You can write your stories in Ink, a scripting language developed by Inkle Studios. It is open-source under the MIT License, meaning you can use it freely, even for commercial projects. Ink is already widely adopted, easy to use, and well-suited for interactive fiction and branching narratives.

To make things even easier, I also built a simple built-in Ink editor. While it still has a few glitches, it allows you to start creating and testing stories right away. It includes syntax highlighting, line numbers, and basic syntax checking. Stories written in this editor are automatically saved as part of your mod.



Of course, you can still use any editor you like. Inky, Ink’s official editor, is highly recommended, as it is faster and more reliable. Once your story is ready, simply copy your Ink files into the inklets folder of your mod. Whichever method you choose, you can then use your Ink scripts for conversations, interactions, and more.

Being able to write your own stories was just the first step; they also needed an intuitive way to interact with other game systems. One of the main goals of this integration was to make that process as seamless as possible while staying close to Ink Script syntax.

Your variables now sync instantly with game stats, and there are many built-in methods that can be triggered using Ink tags, making implementation smoother and more user-friendly.

If you created mods for Erannorth Chronicles, this integration is light-years ahead in comparison.

--

Up next is the Oxgate update, which will complete the kingdom of Doven.



Without further ado, I’ll let you read the patch notes in peace!





Bug fixes

• Fixed some issues in Valetport & Denham.
  
• Fixed an issue with the algorithm that generates arena enemies, which could eventually lead to an empty arena.
  
• Fixed an issue in the last update where tooltips in conversations were appearing below their text.
  
• Fixed the Wailing Widow summon not having any actions.
  

New Content

• Added Doven & opened up routes to and from Doven.
  
• Added Barracks & King's Justice office in Doven.
  
• Added the Couriers outpost in Doven.
  
• Added a new arena in Doven.
  
• Added various Merchants in Doven's Market.
  
• Added a Magical Weapons and Trinkets merchant at Doven's Magic Academy.
  
• Enabled sandbox mode. You can now experience the world beyond the confines of the main story.
  
• Added a quick sandbox intro. You'll get to pick your starting weapon and receive +4 SP points to match the story start.
  
• Updated Llanford's Notice board with some of the local opportunities.
  
• Added a defeat scenario to Krevok's fight. Failing it will no longer result in a game over screen (Story mode).
  
• Added new actions for Blunt and Polearm weapons.
  
• Introduced new proficiency perks for all weapon types, allowing up to a +9 bonus.
  
• Added the option to rent rooms and rest in all major locations.
  
• New Town action: Shortcut – Allows fast travel between points of interest within a town that you've previously visited.
  
• If you fail to open a certain strongbox, you can now take it with you. Someone in Llanford can unlock it—for a price (Story mode).
  
• Added new combat maps.
  
• Added a few more Marsh Events.
  
• Added new scenes in the Camp (Story mode).
  

Balance Changes

• Tweaked the level distribution and handling of the randomly generated NPCs.
  
• Made it easier to recruit your initial party in Sandbox mode.
  
• Random encounters will now grant experience in addition to their random rewards.
  
• Zone-Based Leveling – Different regions now have distinct difficulty levels.
  
• Each region now has a predefined level range. Enemies cannot drop below the minimum or exceed the maximum level of the region, ensuring that certain areas remain appropriately challenging or easier based on your progress. Within these limits, enemy levels adjust to match yours, preventing encounters from becoming too easy or too overwhelming. This range can also be influenced by difficulty settings.
  
• This will also affect the arenas, offering different level ranges of enemies to fight.
  
• Net worth of enemies is now affected by both the difficulty and the region that spawned them.
  
• Enemies will now try to fill as many equipment slots as possible while avoiding overspending on a single item.
  
• Enemies will no longer neglect their weapon proficiency.
  
• Enemies will now attempt to upgrade their weapon if possible.
  
• Enemies in a band are now always at the same level or lower than their leader.
  
• Major tweaks in the balance of weapons, chest armors, attires, belts, boots and shields.
  
• Your worn gear may have changed radically. Starting a new game is highly recommended!
  
• Arena requirements have been adjusted to Gladiator Rank:
  
  
  
  • Llanford: 0–7
    
  • Valetport: 8–15
    
  • Denham: 16–24
    
  • Doven: 24+
    
• Tweaked merchant inventories to create more variety across all towns.
  
• Merchant wealth now gradually replenishes over time.
  
• Merchants will now get rid off any items that don't match their usual merchandise during their next inventory refresh.
  
• Adjusted the Skirmish mechanic for better balance:
  
  
  
  • Against lower-level enemies than you, Skirmish works as before: a successful moderate check defeats them, and you get the loot.
    
  • Against higher-level enemies than you, a successful hard check only wounds them instead of eliminating them. Neutral bands will turn hostile immediately and attempt to attack you on their turn if possible.
    

QoL and Misc Additions

• Updated the NPC knowledge when asking for directions.
  
• Adjusted some conversations to improve flow and immersion.
  
• Improved the behavior of the tile info tooltips.
  
• Disabled trading with Ennathil. Selling her back her own stuff was too tempting.
  
• Added a threat assessment widget over hostile and neutral actors, based on their level and remaining health. No skulls indicate minimal threat, while four skulls signal near-certain death.
  
• You can now view your rankings at the arena.
  
• The actor's region is now displayed in their information within the Relationships UI.
  
• Overworld Neutral and Hostile bands can now be set to 0, preventing new bands from spawning entirely.
  

Modding Additions