a Musings from Eternalmoor production
In a realm where lifetimes are opt-in plays, Ju and Inky may live as everything the stage offers — but to experience what it's like to walk in the all-knowing shoes of their friend Blackbird, they must pass one last casting: a Tree of Life and Death.
Reincarnated as a Yew tree, they're given a simple mission:
Grow as old as possible.
And try not to kill everyone else in the process.
Your haunting dictates whether the lock keeper's cottage spirals into cozy whimsy or dark, gritty tragedy.
Guide Kehan through the daily work of the lock: open for boats, salvage what falls, maintain the gates through the seasons, and tend crushed fingers and tired bodies that keep the canal moving.
Narrowboat guests pass the lock hungry for purpose, each with two urgent needs. What you tend (or overlook) can ricochet: along this canal, helpfulness has a habit of going beautifully wrong.
In the lock-keeper’s care, craft Looking Jars — small glass worlds with a tune and a keepsake — so those who work the canal can be remembered with dignity when a sudden flip of fate takes them.
Balance conversations and emotional pulls between Ju and Inky — shaped by branching dialogues, choices, and quests.
Echoes are memories with weight — some lift you, some pull you down — and they change how the world sounds and feels to move through.
Story beats orbit four primary emotional drivers: a positive drive vs. a corresponding fear.
Quests grow from small tasks to moments that leave a mark. Win or stumble, the Weave of Echoes remembers.
Driven by a deep longing to finally peek into the Backstages — and possibly even transcend into a Blackbird herself — Ju is determined to face whatever trials Blackbird demands of her.
Help her nudge Inky's feelings to succeed in different quests that may — or may not — bring her closer to finding the meaning of life.
Driven by a desire to taste the fullness of existence, Inky is far more interested in the detour than the destination. They are the chaotic spirit of Ju's inkwell heart—and when their priorities clash with Ju's, you must help decide what happens next.
Nine-year-old Kehan meets the world with practical hands and a stubborn appetite for life. When storm and loss arrive on the barge, he does what needs doing: tends the horse, pulls upstream to the lock, and helps shape a Looking Jar so his deceased caretaker can be remembered with dignity.
Under a storm-born tree that grows beside the sluice, he argues for staying curious — chores, coffee for travellers, and small mercies along the water — rather than giving up on wonder too soon.
Nevlari tends the sluice where barges rise and fall, and keeps an archive of last wishes from those who work the accident-scarred canal. From them he crafts Looking Jars — glass worlds with a tune and a keepsake — so farewell can still feel like care.
Old enough to crave rest, he still holds the waterway together.
All-knowing and ever-amused keeper of the Theatre's Backstage, Blackbird watches the plays without getting caught in them. He offers Ju a place beside him — if she can bring a Seed of Truth that reveals the essence of /Ju:/.
He's a trickster companion who offers nothing but riddles.
A small-team, quality-first production — Unity for play and pacing, Blender for world-building, and systems built for dialogue, exploration, and emotional mechanics rather than combat loops. Chapter 1 is in active development; the goal is a cohesive, authored experience.
Every note is written and produced for Eternalmoor, with live musicians where the arrangement asks for it. Audio is part of the storytelling, not wallpaper.
Sol Vikström
Creative lead · storyteller · devDesign, writing, and direction — the world, the tone, and the stubborn belief that a game can make room for reflection.
Stefan Hallgren
Co-producer · financing · soundRepresents Eternalmoor to financiers and helps secure backing for the production — with a contributing hand in sound design and mix.
Iris
Helpful catMorale, keyboard supervision, and the occasional decisive stare when a feature needs more love.