About this VN
A weapon which bears an ancient curse. A man who serves as its unwilling master. The trail of blood left in their wake. This is the tale of Lucas, and of his blade, Deirdre.
Deirdre, My Blade is a kinetic visual novel in development which began as an idea for a story about a man who bears a cursed weapon in his possession. The curse is not an affliction he must suffer or a price he must pay; rather, it is that the weapon is a sentient shapeshifter which most frequently takes the form of a woman calling herself Deirdre. Mad with bloodlust, she refuses to leave the side of her master, endlessly causing death and carnage in her twisted, desperate desire to serve him. The tale follows this man’s life and details his experiences with this cursed weapon; how he came to cross paths with her, how he struggles to live a normal life despite her destructive impact on everything around him, and how he seeks to unravel the mystery behind the true identity of the cursed weapon named Deirdre.
Characters
Lucas Irvine
A strange wanderer who travels the lonely trails of the countryside in the sole company of a mysterious woman. He is young and fit, but too bitter and distant for a man of his age. He meets no one in the eye when he speaks, merely fixing his gaze on a horizon which will never return his attention. What has caused this young man to darken so remains to be seen.
Deirdre
A woman who keeps herself perpetually at the side of the man she calls “master.” She bears the look of bloodlust in her eyes with an unnervingly cheerful disposition.
Myra Weaver
A young barmaid working at her father’s pub, and childhood friend to Lucas. Though she harbors romantic feelings for him, their long-running relationship has remained platonic. She is a lively, cheerful, and witty young woman, well-suited to her occupation.
Hayden Ivrine
Elder brother to Lucas and successor to their father’s carpentry workshop. A responsible man with strong work ethic and humble aspirations. Alcohol is his weakness, however, and his good character all but vanishes when he has had too much to drink.
Clarke McCullen
Inquisitor in the service of the great lord and shepherd. An aged, stoic man with little tolerance for backsliders and even less mercy for heretics. He follows a strict code of personal behavior and has a talent for investigation, both traits which led him to many successful hunts and a rise in prominence among the clergy.
Vericus
Hero of ancient lore, born of the peasant classes and said to have slain many kings in battle during the great War of the Ruby River. He is credited with bringing a swift end to the conflict through his brave actions in battle.
Locations
Gralia
A country on the northern continent, situated in a peninsula along the southern coastline. Its mild weather, gentle rolling fields of fertile grassland, and geographically advantageous location have made it a prosperous land whose trade economy booms and whose language and culture spreads far and wide.
Hartville
A Gralian port town which has grown significantly in wealth and prosperity due to its naval trade economy. Hartville is ruled by the Baron Edward Deacon, an eccentric aristocrat who fancies himself a collector of precious works of art from around the world. Hartville is home to Lucas and Hayden Irvine, as well as Myra Weaver.
Elkberry
A Gralian town situated inland, serving as a crossroads between most of its other cities and villages, and providing the country with an abundance of arable farmland. It is a frequently-used resting point for merchants making overland travel within and through Gralia.
Belgisia
A country which shares a border with Gralia, found to the north and west of the peninsula. Though it is larger, Belgisia is a politically fractured country which lacks a strong central authority to unite it. A treacherous combination of heavily forested and mountainous terrain help secure the country from foreign invasions.
Bridgewood
A lumber harvesting colony situated within a mountain valley straddling the northern border of Gralia leading into Belgisia. The timber harvested from this stretch of land is exceptionally strong and is frequently used in shipbuilding yards to the south.
Hanshire
A small but growing village in the western region of Belgisia. It has a substantial fur and game industry thanks to its thick forest to the south and east, and fertile land for agriculture to the north and west.
Stratford
Current capital of Belgisia, to the northeast of Bridgewood, where the Grand Duke hosts his judicial court. Stratford has been experiencing a population boom, and the Grand Duke is taking the opportunity to commission groups of settlers to move into the western regions of the country.
Norbury
Belgisian town found to the north of Hanshire. It serves primarily as a resting location for Belgisian pilgrims making their journey to the holy city west of the country. Consequently, the clergy has a great deal of power here, and there is a greater concentration of buildings made for their purposes among the homes and workshops scattered about than one would expect to find in an ordinary town.
Milwater
A town southwest of Hanshire, split apart from it by nearly impassable mountain ranges. Situated on rapidly flowing rivers, it makes extensive use of water and wind mills and has consequently established a surprisingly good industrial output despite its remote location and small population.
Forscica
A country found to the west of southern Belgisia, spanning a small stretch of the coastline. Though the majority in Forscica speak a different language from those in Gralia and Belgisia, they worship under the same religion and answer to the same clergy.
Sicille
A port town on the southern coast of Forscica, which provides the nation with much of its export and import capacity. Because of its role as a trade hub, it is much easier for foreigners to get by in Sicille even if they do not speak the Forscican language.
Ibyssus
A wide but thin nation spread along the northern coast of the southern continent, across the sea from Gralia, Forscica, and Belgisia. In contrast to the north, the climate of Ibyssus is hot and tropical, and its people are notable for their extreme reverence and piety, albeit to a different faith than that of the northern continent.
The Empire of Trien
A great but fallen empire of antiquity originating from the southern continent, its people were once conquerors of the vast majority of the known world. After a period of decline, the empire finally fell after a series of natural disasters struck down its core cities and swept its fertile lands into dustblown deserts. It is commonly believed that their hedonism and hubris brought down the wrath of the heavens upon them.
