Shady Brook - A Dark Mystery Text Adventure News

Hi all,

I apologize for the lack of news this past month. Some may have noticed that I've been largely absent on all social media. Don't worry, development on Summit of the Wolf continues, but it's been a rough month. As a result, I've unfortunately had little-to-no time to work on the game.

What follows is a bit of a delve into my personal life, which you can read if you care to know. For those who wish to jump ahead to game-related news, skip the italicized paragraph below.

At the start of November, I suffered a severe ear infection and could not hear out of one ear as a result. This made doing audio work on the game impossible, so I had to wait for it to heal. By the time it healed, there was an unexpected death in the family, which hit me hard. I am still recovering from that death, and now I have the flu on top of it.

As a result of all this, Summit of the Wolf is unfortunately about a month behind schedule. As soon as I fully recover from the flu, I plan to immediately return to work on the game. Luckily, the "Spring 2020" release estimate is still on track...it will just be a bit later in spring rather than sooner.

Last month, I mentioned that I would next talk about the real-world segments of the game in my next update...however, given circumstances, I am going to delay that conversation until January. I'll fill you in on more details then!

Thanks for your interest in my games, and please stay tuned!

It is time for the fifth highlight of the upcoming Summit of the Wolf. This month, I will discuss the second of the companions who will join you during your quest: a pixie toddler named Ilea Poh. But before I do that, I'd like to update you all on the status of the game's development.

Summit of the Wolf is officially in a stable beta state! Currently, I am editing the voice recordings of thousands of lines of dialog for the game. As this is a solo project, this process will take another 2-3 weeks. After that, a closed beta testing period will begin. Barring any unforeseen issues, I estimate the game to be ready to launch early February 2020!

And now, on to little Ilea Poh...

Ilea is shy but sweet. From the small fishing village of Summerway, Ilea lived an uneventful life with her mother, Charlotte, who served as protector of the village from outside threats. This all changed when, one day, the village received word that the human stronghold Scarwood Keep was under siege by the Great Dragon Faytte. Upon learning that the keep's king, Rederick Ilo, requested aid from anyone willing to assist, Charlotte's mother felt duty-bound to comply. And so she, along with her daughter, left their home and set off toward the Scarwood mountains.

Along the way, Ilea got separated from Charlotte in Echo Falls. Unable to find her mother, Ilea sought refuge in a nearby cave—unaware that the cave's current occupants, the spring eagles, posed a great threat.

The game's protagonist, Ophelia, encounters Ilea after she has been lost in the caves for some time. After befriending Ilea, Ophelia sets upon herself the quest of reuniting the toddler with her mother, as Ophelia's destination will also take her to Scarwood Keep.



Will Ophelia succeed in her quest? Find out in Summit of the Wolf, which launches in Spring 2020. Add it to your Steam wishlist today!

Next month, I will tell you about some of the real world segments that come into play in the game. Stay tuned!

It is time for the fourth highlight of the upcoming Summit of the Wolf. This month, I will discuss one of the companions who will join you during your quest: a cion outcast named Roluk.

Roluk is a bit of a loner. Once, he was an important figure among his people in Khisiko Village, the cion home in Circlewood Forest. Roluk was elected Guard Supreme, which means that he was in charge of protecting the village from outside threats. But one day, while Roluk was visiting the village blacksmith, a young, homeless boy ran into the shop and attempted to steal an acorn--a delicacy among the cion people. The blacksmith caught the boy and, in anger, went to strike him. Roluk, feeling a surge of compassion, interceded.

"The boy is hungry," Roluk insisted. "He meant no harm." The blacksmith insisted that the boy must be punished and moved forward to do so, causing Roluk to attack him. The fight ended after Roluk marred the blacksmith's face.

According to cion law, no cion had ever harmed another...not until Roluk's actions. As a result of what he did, Roluk was excommunicated from Khisiko Village by the cion elder. Roluk lost everything...except his honor.



Next month, I will tell you about another of our protagonist’s companions: a melancholy little girl named Ilea.

Summit of the Wolf launches in Spring 2020. Add it to your Steam wishlist today!

It is time for the third highlight of the upcoming Summit of the Wolf. This month, I will discuss another of the races you will encounter in the game, the spring eagles.

Spring eagles are a noble and highly intelligent race that suppresses all emotion. Cold and xenophobic, they care only for their own kind and not the outside world. Spring eagles do not speak but instead posses a form of telepathy, through which they communicate among themselves and to others. This manifests to outsiders as a faint whisper that seems to emanate from one’s inner ear. Though not outright aggressive, they are highly territorial and will attack if provoked.

The spring eagles were once split into dozens of clans, all fighting amongst one another in warfare over their land. This ended when one particular spring eagle, a young hero named Coeus, taught the clans the Five Pillars of Intelligence and convinced everyone that there is no value in fighting. He united the clans, who now live in peace as one nation. To commemorate the teachings of Coeus, an Eternal Fire burns in the Chieftain’s home, where it has burned for hundreds of years.

The spring eagle live among the ruins of an ancient civilization deep in the center of the Caves of the Forgotten. A pit of bones lies on one edge of the lair, the remnants of the victims who were unfortunate enough to stumble upon the eagles. While the spring eagles used to spend their days in Echo Falls, they are now forced to remain in their subterranean home, because a horrific spell gone wrong has caused the sun to disappear and forever be replaced by the moon–even in the day–and moonlight will turn the eagles to dust.



Next month, I will tell you about one of our protagonist’s companions: the cion hunter named Roluk.


Summit of the Wolf launches in Spring 2020. Add it to your Steam wishlist today!

This is the second highlight of the upcoming Summit of the Wolf. This month, I will discuss one of the many races you will encounter in the game, the cions.

Cions are large, primitive bipedal creatures that live as one with the land. Honorable and dignified, they are a peaceful people who are sometimes preyed upon by greedy pixie hunters that wish to sell their valuable antlers, making the cions suspicious of outsiders. Cions are led by the Tribe Elder, the oldest cion in the village. He makes decisions on behalf of all his people, though it is said that no cion has ever disagreed with its kinsfolk.

Vegetarians by nature, cions like to eat ripe gwesha fruit and roasted acorn stew. They like the warmth and can always be found close to an active campfire--even at the height of summer. Cion culture supports a barter system, and fair and equal trade is important to them. Cions are a highly spiritual people. Upon death, a notable cion's remains are burned upon the Sacred Pyre. This is a cause for celebration among the people, who collectively refer to the event as one's "burning day." To be burned is of the highest honor.

No cion has ever harmed another--a fact in which the tribe takes great pride.



Next month, I will tell you about another of the races that the game's protagonist, Ophelia, will encounter: the Spring Eagles.

Summit of the Wolf launches in Spring 2020. Add it to your Steam wishlist today!