The narrator
In short: an old, weary storyteller speaks at the moments that matter: how a fight went, a boss's challenge, crossing into new country, a shrine found, a quest's trail, yesterday's tale at dawn. The screen keeps the exact numbers and names; he sets the mood. A second voice belongs to Ashvarr, the dragon, who reads its own letters to you. Set the narration's volume, or turn it off, in Settings on the Hero tab.
How it works
The narrator speaks once per action, at most, and only when something worth saying happens:
| Moment | He speaks… |
|---|---|
| A hunt | how it went: a rout, a hard fight, a close call, a narrow or heavy loss |
| A boss | the boss's own challenge, then its fall or yours |
| Levelling up | that you feel stronger |
| Walking | only when you cross into a different kind of land, not on every step |
| Getting lost, a settlement, Oakhaven | a line for each |
| Shrines, ruins, watchtowers, hermits, lairs | when you arrive, and again when you use them |
| Encounters | the scene, then whether it went well, badly or neither |
| Another hero on the road | the meeting, then a won or lost duel, or the parting |
| Quests | taking one, the first sign, a cold trail, reaching the foe, victory |
| A cairn | when you find one, and when you pay your respects |
| A nemesis | when you reach the tile where one prowls, and when one is slain |
| The inn, a waystation, potions, a blessing | a line each |
| Yesterday's chronicle | press Listen on the dawn screen or the parchment card |
| A duel against you while you were away | in yesterday's chronicle: whether you held or were bested |
| The day's omen | at dawn, after yesterday's chronicle: the kind of day it is |
| The Daily Happenings | its own Listen: the kind of each headline, never who or where |
| Joining a season | the season's opening words, then what is new in it |
| A letter from the dragon | not him: the dragon reads it, in its own voice, with its own Listen |
He never reads out your name, gold or places: those are on screen. Neither does the dragon: its letters speak to "little hero", and the screen says which boss's fall they answer (see Bosses). Its Listen appears once its voice has been recorded; until then the letter is only read. The same goes for his own new lines (the omens, the Daily Happenings): a Listen shows only once there is something recorded to play. A new action cuts him off, so tapping quickly never leaves him talking about the past. Sound effects and the background sound dip while he speaks.
His volume is in Settings on the Hero tab (all the way down turns him off, and the dragon with him), remembered on this device. The speaker in the top bar silences everything, him included.
Tips
- Playing somewhere quiet? Mute with the speaker; the narrator stays off until you unmute.
- The Listen button on the dawn screen is the nicest way to start a day.
- Want him but not the rest? In Settings, turn the sound effects or the background sound down and leave his volume up.