Norse Folklore
Hello everyone 👋,
Ever since we began designing Thveit, we knew we didn't want Norse mythology to simply be decoration. Many games use Vikings as an aesthetic. You build longhouses, wear fur cloaks, place a few runestones, and that's where the mythology ends. For us, mythology is part of everyday life.
The people settling these lands genuinely believe the forests are inhabited, the sea answers to the gods, and ancient creatures have lived here long before the first village was founded. Instead of treating mythology as scripted events or end-game bosses, we're building systems that allow these beings to exist naturally alongside your settlement, reacting to how you play rather than waiting for a cutscene to introduce them.
Today we'd like to share some of the folklore systems we're currently working on.
Beneath Every Mountain Sleeps a Troll
One of the first creatures we're implementing is the Troll. Rather than making Trolls another enemy for the player to fight, we wanted them to feel like independent inhabitants of the world, not a combat encounter waiting to be triggered. You'll discover caves throughout the map, and some of them will be home to Trolls who were living there long before your settlers arrived.
Initially they'll keep to themselves, wary of the newcomers building nearby. Over time, though, you'll be able to interact with them through small requests. They might ask for food, resources, or help maintaining the area around their cave. Completing these requests slowly builds trust, and every Troll will remember how you've treated them.
If you earn that trust, the Troll may decide to help your settlement. Because of their immense strength, Trolls can carry resources that would normally require several settlers, making them incredibly valuable companions for construction and logistics, especially when you're hauling heavy stone or timber across long distances.
Importantly, they don't become another worker you control. They choose to help because you've built a relationship with them, and we think that makes them feel much more memorable than simply unlocking another unit on a tech tree.
When Night Falls, Stay Indoors
One of our favorite systems currently in development revolves around Spirits. The lands your settlers arrive in are ancient. Long before villages, farms, and roads existed, something else inhabited these forests, and it hasn't gone anywhere.
During the day, your settlers can work normally, gathering resources and tending to the settlement without a second thought. But once darkness falls, the wilderness becomes far less welcoming. We're experimenting with spirits that emerge during the night and roam the forests surrounding your settlement. If one of your settlers wanders too far from home after dark, they may become a target.
This is where cats become unexpectedly important. Cats aren't just decorative animals wandering your village, they'll react to nearby supernatural threats, warning settlers before spirits get too close. That gives your villagers precious time to return home before something happens, turning a simple companion animal into a genuine early-warning system.
We're still prototyping this system, but we love the idea that simply forgetting about a woodcutter working late could have real consequences, and that keeping a cat nearby might one day save someone's life.
The Dead Should Be Remembered
Another mechanic we're designing is our cemetery and afterlife system. When settlers die, they'll be buried by your community instead of simply disappearing, and their grave will remain as a permanent part of your settlement's history.
However, not every death has the same outcome. If a settler lived a fulfilling life and died peacefully of old age, there's a chance they'll return as a benevolent spirit. These ghosts won't harm anyone, instead, they'll quietly wander through the village, occasionally visiting family members or places they once called home.
Deaths caused by starvation, freezing, murder, or neglect tell a different story. Those settlers may return as restless spirits, haunting your settlement and causing problems for the living, a quiet consequence of how well you looked after your people while they were alive.
To help deal with this, we're planning to introduce Shamans who can perform rituals, calm angry spirits, and restore balance between the living and the dead. We want death to become another storytelling system instead of simply reducing your population count, so every grave has a story behind it, and every haunting is a reminder of a mistake you can learn from.
The Sea Belongs to Njord
The ocean plays a huge role in Thveit. It's how you'll establish trade, transport settlers between villages, and eventually discover distant lands. But sailing safely isn't guaranteed.
We're tying one of our largest mythical creatures, the Kraken, to Njord, the Norse god associated with the sea, sailing, fishing, and prosperity. The more favor you earn with Njord, whether through offerings, successful voyages, or respecting the creatures of the sea, the safer your voyages become. The Kraken may even help guide your ships safely across dangerous waters, nudging them away from storms or hidden reefs.
Lose Njord's favor, however, and your relationship with the sea changes dramatically. Instead of protecting your fleet, the Kraken may drag your ships beneath the waves, destroying both your cargo and your settlers, turning your greatest trade route into your greatest risk.
We're also exploring ways for players to gradually build trust with the Kraken itself, making it another legendary creature that exists naturally within the world rather than appearing only during scripted encounters. Over a long campaign, we want your relationship with the sea to feel earned, not fixed from the start.
The Forest Remembers
One creature we're especially excited about is the Landvættir. In Norse mythology, Landvættir are spirits of the land that protect specific places. For Thveit, we've chosen to represent them as guardians of the forest itself.
Unlike some of our other mythical creatures, the Landvættir isn't something you'll actively seek out. Instead, your actions determine whether it awakens. Clear too much forest, hunt wildlife excessively, or strip nature of its resources without giving anything back, and eventually the Landvættir may emerge to defend what remains, preventing settlers from exploiting the surrounding wilderness.
The opposite is also true. We're currently designing a sanctuary system where players can designate protected areas of forest that remain untouched by development. Preserving wildlife and respecting nature allows you to gradually earn the Landvættir's trust.
It won't become your pet or follower. Instead, it may reward your settlement by blessing nearby forests, improving wildlife populations, encouraging tree growth, and making surrounding lands healthier over time. We're currently leaning towards associating this relationship with Freyr, whose connection to fertility, peace, and prosperity fits naturally with protecting the land.
Raising a Dragon
Dragons are probably the most ambitious folklore system we have planned. Rather than simply finding an adult dragon somewhere in the world, we want players to build a relationship from the very beginning, one that spans the entire life of your settlement.
During distant voyages, you'll occasionally discover Dragon Eggs. Bringing one home is only the first challenge. You'll need to keep it warm, protect it, and ensure it survives long enough to hatch, which may require dedicating resources and attention long before you see any benefit in return.
From there, you'll raise the dragon as your settlement grows. As it matures, it may protect your treasury, provide warmth during harsh winters, frighten away dangerous creatures, or watch over your village from above, becoming a visible symbol of everything you've built together.
This system is still in its early design phase, but we're excited by the idea that every dragon becomes part of your settlement's history instead of just another powerful unit, remembered as much for the journey of raising it as for what it can do once grown.
And This Is Only the Beginning
Norse folklore is incredibly rich, and we've only scratched the surface. Some of the creatures and systems we're already planning include:
- Huldras that lure settlers into the forest.
- Nøkk inhabiting lakes and rivers.
- Sea Serpents roaming the open ocean.
- Whales that interact with your voyages.
- Additional spirit types.
- Draugr rising from forgotten graves.
- More gods, blessings, rituals, and supernatural events.
Our goal isn't to turn Thveit into a fantasy game filled with constant magical encounters. Instead, we want mythology to feel believable, woven into everyday life in the same way it was for the people who inspired the game.
Thank You for 15,000 Wishlists in Just 5 Days ❤️
Before wrapping up, we wanted to take a moment to thank every single one of you.
Since announcing Thveit and launching our Steam page, we've been completely blown away by the response. Reaching 15,000 wishlists in just five days is something we genuinely never expected, and seeing so many people excited about our little Norse city builder has been incredibly motivating.
We've also loved reading your comments, watching your theories, seeing your feature suggestions, and hearing what aspects of the game resonate most with you. Whether you've wishlisted the game, shared the trailer, joined our Discord, or simply left an encouraging comment, thank you.
The support we've received over the past week has given us even more confidence in the direction we're taking Thveit, and this devlog was our way of sharing one of the features we're personally the most excited to build.
Looking Ahead
Everything we've shown here is currently in development, and many of these systems will continue evolving over the coming months as we test, break, and rebuild them.
As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Which folklore creature are you most excited to see in Thveit? Is there a particular story or piece of Norse mythology you'd love for us to explore?
If you've enjoyed reading this devlog and would like to follow Thveit's development more closely, we'd love to have you join our Discord community. It's the best place to chat with us, share your ideas, ask questions, and connect with other players following the journey.
Your feedback genuinely helps shape Thveit. We read every comment and truly appreciate everyone who takes the time to share their thoughts.
Thank you so much for reading and supporting our journey. We'll see you in the next devlog. ❤️
What would you like us to cover in the next devlog?
