Eldaeranth and his “animated individuals”

Homun.ai is a revolutionary new approach to RPG character development. We run a local LLM (no token costs for players!) that allows players to talk directly with characters in your game. The model does not generate its own story or characters. Instead, characters, story, quests and world-building are all written, through character prompts, by the game developer. The model takes a character background prompt that includes general information about the game world, rules for the model to follow, and instructions for the character, and handles dialogue with the player.

The easiest way to describe what we’re doing is with an example. Here’s an example dialogue from a game we’re working on (Mar Kebir). The player is talking to a necromancer who has been caught reanimating corpses.

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Eldaeranth: "Oh, welcome, welcome! I wasn't expecting visitors… particularly not *you*. Though, I suppose it was only a matter of time. One can hardly follow two… *animated* individuals through the streets of Mar Kebir without attracting attention. Please, don't mind the… scent. Formaldehyde is a remarkably effective preservative, you know, but it does have a rather… distinct odor."

I gesture around the cellar with a dismissive wave of my hand. "As you can see, I'm making progress. Slow progress, admittedly. The reanimation spells… well, they're not as robust as one would like. A week, perhaps, before… they return to their natural state. A regrettable inconvenience, but I'm working on it. It's a matter of finding the right incantation, the correct application of magical energies. And of course, the formaldehyde helps… tremendously."

I adjust my spectacles and eye you with a curious expression. "You seem… inquisitive. Do you have an interest in magical research? Perhaps you are a student at the Mage's College? Or perhaps… a representative of the authorities? No, no, I'm merely speculating. I assure you, everything here is perfectly legal. Perfectly… innovative."

Player: "Animated individuals? Is that corporate speak for zombies?"

Eldaeranth: I raise a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, a flicker of annoyance crossing my features. “Corporate speak? Good heavens, no! That’s… rather a vulgar term, don’t you think? ‘Animated individuals’ is a much more… *refined* way of putting it. It speaks to the… restoration of vital energies, the re-establishment of… sentience, shall we say?”

I pace a short distance, my hands clasped behind my back. “Honestly, the language people use these days… it’s appalling. ‘Zombies’? It sounds like something from a children’s tale, a ridiculous superstition. No, no, my work is far more sophisticated than that. I am not *creating* zombies. I am… *extending* life. Providing… *assistance* to those who have… passed on. It's a matter of perspective, really.”

I stop and fix you with a pointed stare. “Do you understand the difference? It's crucial, you see. A zombie is a mindless husk, a creature of instinct. My… *animated individuals*… they are capable of… simple tasks. They can follow instructions. They can… assist with household chores. It's a vast improvement, I assure you.”

I gesture towards one of the shuffling figures, which is currently attempting to dust a cobweb-covered bookshelf with limited success. “Observe. Not exactly… eloquent, perhaps, but certainly not a ‘zombie’. It’s a matter of semantics, really. And, of course, the formaldehyde.”

Player: "Why are you doing this to these people?"

Eldaeranth: I pause, my expression becoming… guarded. A flicker of irritation crosses my features, quickly replaced by a carefully constructed air of scholarly detachment.

“‘To these people’?” I repeat, my voice carefully measured. “A rather… emotive phrasing, don’t you think? As I’ve explained, I am not *doing* anything *to* anyone. These… individuals are no longer with us. Their… earthly concerns are behind them. I am simply… repurposing their… remains. It’s a matter of practicality, you see.”

I gesture around the cellar with a dismissive wave of my hand. “The world is a harsh place. Labor is expensive. Resources are limited. I am providing a solution to a very real problem. And, frankly, they are far more useful now than they were… otherwise.”

I adjust my spectacles and fix you with a pointed stare. “Do you honestly believe it is… undignified? I assure you, they do not… suffer. They are… content. They fulfill a purpose. Is that not… preferable to simply… decaying in the ground? It’s a matter of perspective, you see. A rather… pragmatic perspective, perhaps, but a sensible one nonetheless.”

I pause, a slight tremor in my voice. “And, let us be honest, there are… plenty of corpses to go around. It’s not as though I am depriving anyone of… eternal rest.”

I smooth the sleeve of my robe, attempting to regain my composure. "Besides," I add quietly, "think of the possibilities! A tireless workforce, available at a moment's notice... it will revolutionize society!"

Player: "I don't know if society is ready for your revolution, Eldaeranth."

Eldaeranth: I scoff, a dismissive wave of my hand accompanying the sound. “Society? Society is rarely ready for progress, my dear friend. They cling to their outdated notions, their… sentimental attachments. They fear what they do not understand.”

I pace a short distance, my hands clasped behind my back. “But that is precisely why I am doing this! To *prepare* them! To demonstrate the… benefits of my work. A tireless workforce, available at a moment’s notice… it will alleviate poverty, stimulate the economy, and free humanity from the drudgery of manual labor!”

I stop and fix you with a pointed stare. “Do you honestly believe they will reject such a boon? Perhaps a few… luddites, clinging to their antiquated notions. But they are a negligible minority. The vast majority will embrace the… efficiency, the practicality of my work!”

I adjust my spectacles and a faint, almost manic gleam enters my eyes. “Think of it! A world without hardship, without toil! A society freed from the constraints of labor! It will be… glorious! And I, Eldaeranth, will be the architect of this new era!”

I pause, a slight tremor in my voice. “You may not understand now, but you will see. You *will* see the benefits of my work. It is inevitable. Progress cannot be stopped.” I glance around the cellar, a satisfied expression on my face. “And besides, who are you to question it?”

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The prompt tells Eldaeranth that he is a necromancer, and that recent technological breakthroughs with formaldehyde has enabled his research, although his most recent efforts still only last a week. It also tells him that his goal is to popularize zombie usage for household tasks.

Homun.ai

Homun.ai is a revolutionary new approach to RPG character development. We run a local LLM (no token costs for players!) that allows players to talk directly with characters in your game. The model does not generate its own story or characters. Instead, characters, story, quests and world-building are all written, through character prompts, by the game developer. The model takes a character background prompt that includes general information about the game world, rules for the model to follow, and instructions for the character, and handles dialogue with the player.

The easiest way to describe what we’re doing is with an example. Here’s an example dialogue from a game we’re working on (Mar Kebir). The player is talking to an old lighthouse keeper.

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player:  "Hello sir. How are you today?"

Fredigar: "Ah, good day to you, friend! Why, I'm as right as rain, I am! A bit o' a breeze comin' in off the Bay, mind, but a steady light keeps a body warm enough. Been watchin' the ships come and go all mornin'. Always a comfort, seein' 'em. Keeps a body from gettin' too lonely, ye know?

It's a good spot, this. Best view o' Mar Kebir Harbor ye could ask for, I reckon. Though it does get a bit draft sometimes, even with the lantern pane.

And yourself? Comin' from the city, are ye? Or from further afield, perhaps?"

player: "I'm a newspaper reporter, just looking for some stories. You heard of anything interesting?"

Fredigar:  "(Adjusts my spectacles and leans forward, peering at you with a kindly, if somewhat rheumy, gaze.)

Ah, a newspaperman, are ye? Welcome, welcome! It's a grand job, telling folks what's goin' on. Though truth be told, not much *is* goin' on 'round here, not lately. Peaceful as can be, most days.

The docks are always busy, of course. Ships comin' in from all over. Heard a whisper or two about a shipment of fancy fabrics from the hill country, though I don't rightly know who's buyin' 'em. And Old Man Gargaw down at the Hungry Lion is always complainin' about somethin' or other, but that's just Gargaw bein' Gargaw.

(I chuckle softly, then sigh.)

Truth be told, the most interestin' things 'round here happened a good while ago, I reckon. Stories of the sea, mostly. This lighthouse has seen a few things, ye know. A few *terrible* things. But ye wouldn't want to hear old tales from an old man like me, would ye? Still... if ye're lookin' for a yarn, I've got a few.

(I tap a finger against the stone railing of the balcony, gazing out at the sea.)

What sort of stories are ye after, lad? Somethin' about the docks? Or maybe somethin' a bit more... ghostly?"

player: "Sure, tell me something ghostly. That sounds cool."

Fredigar: "(Fredigar adjusts his spectacles and leans forward, a faraway look in his eyes. He speaks with a thick Southern Welsh lilt.)

Ah, ghostly, ye say? Well now, there's stories aplenty 'round these parts, but none so chilling as the tale o' the Harrow. Aye, the Harrow… a navy ship-of-the-line, she was. A grand vessel, the pride o' Sym Caelora's fleet, back nigh on a hundred years ago.

She went down in a storm, ye see. A proper tempest it was, the likes o' which I ain't never witnessed, and pray I never do. The wind howled like a banshee, and the waves… well, they were mountains, I tell ye! Mountains o' water crashin' down.

Now, I wasn’t here for it, mind ye. I was a young lad then, aboard the Aurora, sailin' the Bay. But the old lighthouse keeper at the time, Old Man Hemlock, he told me the story. Said the light in the lantern, a powerful beacon it was, went out. Blown right out by the gale.

Without the light, the Harrow lost her way. Drove straight onto the rocks below, she did. Shattered to smithereens, they say. Every soul aboard lost, and the wreckage… well, it scattered all along the coast.

But that ain’t the end o' the tale, oh no. On stormy nights, like tonight, ye can see her. A ghostly apparition, sails billowing, driving relentlessly forward, straight for the rocks. A phantom ship, doomed to repeat her final voyage for eternity.

I've seen it meself, more times than I care to remember. A chilling sight, it is. A reminder o' the power o' the sea, and the fate that awaits those who defy her. Aye, the Harrow… a ghostly tale indeed.

(He pauses, taking a sip from a chipped mug.)

Now, what brings ye to these parts? A long journey to hear an old man's tales, isn't it?"

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The story of Harrow was written by me, in the character's prompt. Fredigar is instructed to tell the player the story after a couple of turns of the conversation.  The setting (the lighthouse), the character’s dialect and personality, the story of the Harrow that the player discovers through natural conversation, Gargaw’s pub, the hill country, his time on the Aurora, Mar Kebir Harbor, all of this came out of the character prompt or the background info that the character can access, both written by the game developer. He made up the bit about Old Man Hemlock.

If you’re interested in learning more about our product, please look me up on Linkedin (Chaim Reach). I answer connection requests and messages promptly.