Trolls

Trolls never stray to far from water. They prefer to remain submerged and snatch their hapless prey from river banks and bridges. At night, and when food is scarce, they have been known to travel inland. When on these excursions they wrap themselves in kelp/seaweed capes to remain cool and moist. Troll capes actually became a trend adopted by fashion conscious goblinoids, but was short lived as it turned out ogres particularly liked the taste of goblin sushi.

When not hunting for food, trolls will sometimes sit and shout provocative and inflammatory messages at passers-by in their ancient and unfathomable tongue. If this happens it's best to ignore them.

Dragon Brew

Originally a dwarvern liquid explosive used in mining operations, Dragon Brew has become a popular refreshment for Dungeoneers. No one really knows who first discovered the concoctions full-bodied flavour, but the cry "Make mine a flagon of Dragon!" is now common in taverns across the kingdom.

This extremely volatile liquid will ignite when agitated.  This property has allowed the drink to be gainfully employed in the construction of incendiary weapons and, of course, for starting the legendary dwarven barbeques.

As any safety-conscious dwarf will tell you, hairy-faces and flaming drinks are not a happy combination. This fact has not gone unnoticed and, traditionally, Dragon Brew is consumed through a 'brew flute'. Often mistaken for some sort of wind instrument, the flute effectively keeps the beverage away from combustible facial hair.

A popular drinking game, involving taking a swig of Brew and jumping up and down on the spot, has resulted in many fatalities and the destruction of several drinking establishments. As a result some publicans have refused to stock the beverage, opting instead for the non-flammable rival brand Dungeon Dew.

The Temple of Chance

In days of yore, before heroes chose their own adventures, life and death was governed by luck. The icosahedron stands as testament to the ancient rule of chance.

Faeries

So far over one thousand species of faery have been identified. Sadly, their numbers have been dwindling because:

1) They have become objects of desire with wealthy patrons who have "gotta catch 'em all".

2) They glow in the dark. Enchanting as it is to humans, faeries find their bioluminescence an annoyance. As a creature with many natural predators lighting up at night is akin to wearing a neon sign that says 'Eat Me'.

3) They are also the key ingredient in popular potions and liquid spells. While their magical properties are still moot among some apothecaries and alchemists, it can't be argued that the Purple Cotton Faery can be made into a rather delightful jam.

Dungeon rooms

Tharg - A giant dwarf

Tharg suffers from a rare, and despised, dwarvish genetic condition: giantism. This affliction means he is often mistaken for an ice waste barbarian, forced to wear ill-fitting armour and constantly banging his head on the door frame of the great hall.

Terror Gnomes

Terror Gnomes are a higher quality minion for a more discerning dungeon keeper. They provide many advantages over standard gobinoid hirelings including skills in explosives, locksmithery, trap installation, torture and plumbing services.

8th Level Dungeoneer

A hack & slash hero who believes 'the only good goblinoid is a dead goblinoid'. But if you're not a goblinoid he's really an OK guy.

Goblinoids - Breeds

Like canidae, goblinoids come in many shapes, sizes and temperaments. Some forms where believed to have been bred by ancient wizards for their specific dark purposes. Others are mongrels, the result of unfortunate interbreeding.

A pure goblin is believed to exist in the depths of the Dragon's Cauldron. It is rumoured to be a magnificent creature very unlike the more common strains that plague the outlands (like comparing  the majesty of the wolf to the pitiful pekingese.)

First prototype nearing completion

I have nearly completed my first prototype of Mysterious Path (an interactive comic) and it will soon be available for you to play (it's in need of some final tweaks to make it acceptable for use).

It's been every informative process - flushing out all sorts of issues around my process, my skills & how the thing should actually work.

My process so far

Expectation setting! This iteration...
1) ... is not necessarily representative of the final story/characters (I'm thinking of it as test content)
2) ... contains only rough sketches/visualisations not final artwork (I will be looking at visual design and art direction as a separate process)
3) ... contains no interactivity beyond choosing your path. So no game elements yet (there are stubs for fights and skill tests but these will be developed later).
4) ... is only a rather short segment of around 30 strips.
5) ... BUT will give you a rather crude approximation of what the final experience might be like.

More soon