Gramarye

Develesjans are no strangers to the supernatural. On this page, you may find information regarding the more... esoteric encounters your Handler might happen upon.

What is out there...

Develesja is home to more than just humans and Lokaji - many powerful beings make these old forests their home, and the Develesjans have come to accept them as part of nature. They have long learned to live alongside their unusual neighbours, revering some while fearing others.

Develesjans may make offerings in makeshift shrines to appease malevolent beings, or avoid certain areas to stay away from something dangerous. Iron trinkets, such as broken blades or keys, are often worn to ward off evil.

Below, you will find a directory of beings you may encounter across Develesja.

Filter by Nature

FickleHelpful when appeasedIll-intentioned

Rusalka

Believed to be spirits of women who died very young, often by drowning, these beautiful maidens can often be encountered at night near bodies of water. However, take care not to disturb or approach them, else they will make you suffer the same fate as many of their own beneath the surface.

Ill-intentioned

Vampir

The undead, risen form of an individual who was truly evil in life, sustaining themselves with the flesh and blood of anything they come across, especially humans. They are hideous, fiendish, and drawn to moonlight.

Ill-intentioned

Vodník

A malevolent being living in water or near water mills. Takes the form of a green-skinned man with bulging eyes and fish-like features. Enslaves women and drowns men to expand its collection of souls, kept in pieces of old crockery.

Fickle

Čert

Humanoid beings with goat-like features; hooves, horns, and thick fur. Their obscure, arcane society follows a strict hierarchy; the more capable a chort is, the less likely you are to encounter it. Chorts often offer seemingly very beneficial deals only to capture the signee's soul based on minute caveats in the presented contracts.

Fickle

Sudičky

A trio of elderly spirits who appear to weave the destiny of every child. When welcomed properly, they will divine for the child a most fortuituous fate. When scorned, however, they may doom the child just as easily.

Helpful when appeased

Vila

An eternally young woman possessing otherworldly beauty. Víly dance in circles by moonlight and invite travellers to join them. But beware - should you accept, you are likely to lose life and soul both in their mad cavort. However, given the right circumstances, they can be reasoned with.

Fickle

Zmej

A draconic creature, sometimes multi-headed, the opponent of many a mythical knight or hero in their fight to rescue a fair maiden or save their kingdom.

Ill-intentioned

The Gods are Fickle

– This is what many Develesjans learn when watching their first divining ceremony, or suffering their life's first tragedy. The gods are all-encompassing, but their moods shift and change, and many a times have there been where your village's žrec had to beg for their approval and mercy to beseech them for at least a few days of rain.

Perun

"The One Who Strikes"

Perun, the demiurge of lightning, the god of the wicked, roiling sky. Perun blesses warriors and hunts his adversaries from atop his home in the sky.

Radegast

Lord of hospitality

God of sunlight, hospitality, abundance, and fire. He is said to bless those who are generous with a bountiful harvest.

Svarog

Heavenly Craftsman

God of fire and 'craftsman of all things', responsible also for maintaining order and consistency.

Mokoš

The Mother-Goddess

Goddess of birth, new life, and also water, worshipped by some as the Earth personified. She is said to protect and bless the home and hearth.

Veles

Ruler of the wild

The god of cattle, living things, magic, arcane knowledge and poetry. It is said Veles is the patron of priests.

Morana

"Of Death"

Goddess of vegetation, but likewise a deity of death and encroaching winter. Symbolically carried out of settlements at the beginning of spring.

Real life note: The above-listed information is highly debatable!
Due to the fervent efforts made to suppress Slavic religion, few clear records of Slavic deities remain and historians frequently disagree and dispute each other's claims regarding the pantheon. However, for the sake of clarity, one interpretation must have been chosen for Fogbound Fables, and it is one primarily sourced from Aleksander Gieysztor. Radegast is used instead of Svarozhitz as he was worshipped in the region where I come from instead of the more commonly used variant.

Speaking

to a

God

While anyone may try to appease the gods on their own, these tasks are often better performed by a žrec - a local priest, forming a significant pillar of every community. These spiritual leaders may often find themselves leading their settlements as a whole, as their words are greatly valued.

Žreci perform sacrifices, divinations, and convey the people's offerings to their deities.

The gods are worshipped in a variety of ways in Develesja. Most visible are the great gatherings in sacred places – old groves, clearings with large oak trees, springs, and other natural shrines. Worshippers of Perun often gather under old oaks, surrounding the area with fences or trenches to mark their sacred ground.

Offerings are brought to the gods regularly to thank them, plead with them for aid, or honour them. These may take various forms, but should be impactful to the individuals bringing them - an item of little significance to you will scarcely interest the gods.

Offerings of blood are also made; in these instances, the altar is covered in the animal's blood before the community sits together to feast on the offered animal.

In times of war, prisoners and enemy agents may be offered to the gods as well.

Mundane Meets Strange

Develesja is home to many a peculiar being, but this does not mean the two worlds - the Known and the Wild - remain strictly separated. At times, you may come across things which you do not quite understand, arcane influences beyond your comprehension. And sometimes, you may walk away forever changed, for better or for worse.

Lokaj Arcana

Browse Steelchant Artifacts

Lokaji are, by their nature, divine beings. However, it is possible to guide a Lokaj to be more in tune with the powers present in Develesja when specific items are used during Steelchant. These Lokaji may then possess unusual abilities which they can extend to their Handler when in weapon form.

Fiery Scorn

Those unfortunate enough to have encountered a Zmej will swiftly recognise this Lokaj's influence. Lokaji with these powers grow spikes along their body and possess the ability to breathe fire or poisonous smoke, which results in a permanent glow being emitted from their beak.

These Lokaji are closely in tune with the Běs. Their front halves grow long, sharp feathers, and their eyes lose their pupils. These Lokaji are capable of affecting others' minds, clouding them with such fury that even sworn brothers will not hesitate to attack one another.

Vile Fury

Boreal Talons

Lokaji in tune with the Lešij, the guardians of the forests, gain patches of flower petals where their feathers would otherwise grow. Their bond with nature is harmonious and flawless - branches lean out of their way when they walk, animals come to their aid, and groves close around those that would do them harm.

Soul Adrift

In large bodies of water, one may encounter a Vodník - a water-dwelling creature with a penchant for drowning careless humans and trapping their souls in decorative cups. Lokaji in tune with these creatures display patches of white, porcelain-like colouration on parts of their body, decorated with floral motifs or gold, similarly to the rims of vintage crockery. These Lokaji gain extensive control over water.

Curses of Transformation

While Lokaji take on the wild's influence with grace and endurance befitting their divine nature, human mortals are not so fortunate. Very rarely, your Handler might find themselves face-to-face with something incomprehensible, and the experience will leave them forever altered.

Curses of Transformation are rare, irreversible effects that your Handler can obtain as a result of specific interactions in the game. You will always be warned and be given a choice prior to risking a Curse.

One Handler can only have one Curse.
The Curse your Handler suffers will not extend to their Lokaji.
The Curse does not transform you fully into the creature it originates from - you only gain some of its aspects.

He saw himself—drew back perturbed
By fears he ne'er had known before ;
For, lo, the waters were disturbed,
Then suddenly grew calm once more ;
"While fitful as a twilight shade,
Than virgin snow more purely white,
From out the pool appeared a maid
Approaching in the silver light.

- The Roussalka, A. S. Pushkin

Browse Transformations