The Bridge Ablaze (PDF)
This is an excerpt from Beast of Winter, the first DLC for Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.
The player arrives at a scene frozen in time. The last defenders of Evon Dewr Bridge stand tall the instant before they’re annihilated by the Godhammer Bomb. At the head of the attacking army looms Waidwen, a humble farmer with divine light radiating out of his head. He is the vessel of the god Eothas, and he is about to perish. The player has a chance to rescue his soul before it drains away into oblivion.
I’d been writing supplemental lore about Waidwen since 2014, but in 2018 I finally got to write this scene that explored his character in greater depth. I think it took a lot of players by surprise, and I was delighted to give this controversial historic figure some humanizing context.
Nemnok the Devourer (PDF)
This is an excerpt from a side quest "Nemnok the Devourer" in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.
The player is tasked with finding a young boy, Kaali, who has been taken by the cult of Nemnok. After exploring a difficult and intimidating dungeon, the player finds Kaali conducting a demonic summoning ritual.
This is among the silliest quests I’ve written, but the final outcome with Nemnok subverted expectations and gave many players a good laugh.
Minnie Ambrose (Dialogue Flow Chart PDF)
Peril on Gorgon was a challenging project for a number of reasons, but I was proud to take the questgiver Wilhelmina "Minnie" Ambrose from concept to final execution. The character was further enhanced by Alicyn Packard's amazing voiceover work, which really captured Minnie's personality.
The attached file is her flow chart throughout the DLC (minus a couple of mid-game conversations). It may seem long and complicated, but when you factor in the variables of player choice, broken sequences, and roleplay opportunities it's really quite tidy.
Mouth of the Beast (Twine Game)
After the launch of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, the DLC team enlisted me to write two short stories and one Twine game to use as promotional material for Beast of Winter. I had about a week to get the Twine story written and scripted. Though modest in scope, I'm proud of how it came together.
Due to the particular layout, this runs better on a desktop browser than on a smart phone.
Shortly after Tyranny was announced, the Narrative team introduced the setting through short stories. I leaped at the opportunity and wrote as many as I could fit into my schedule. "Under New Management" was the first, and easily my favorite of the bunch.
In many ways Tyranny was an easy setting to write for. Characters' morals were complex and dark, but they came from a rationale that made sense under the circumstances. When you imagine a world that's long since subverted by an immortal tyrant's calculating mind, you don't get characters invested in making things better. You get characters who can't imagine what "better" looks like, and the compromises they make in the name of survival.
Under New Management (PDF)
