Harris Powell-Smith

Writing Honor Bound Characters: Savarel

Note: this post contains spoilers about a major character from Honor Bound, my upcoming dark academia text game from Choice of Games. If you don't know anything about Honor Bound, read more here.

Leading up to the release on 5th December, I'm posting about Honor Bound's characters and some of the thoughts and processes that went into writing them.

Savarel Character Rundown

Savarel and Work

In a cast full of burned-out characters, Savarel is probably the most acutely afflicted. A former disaster relief medic, they've done a lot of respected work helping island communities hit by tsunamis. Their most recent posting, on the island of Crinn, resulted in many of their team dying, including the pastor whom Savarel greatly looked up to. After many months of doing their medic work and taking on pastor work too, they eventually left the military and have joined the church.

They haven't slowed down yet. They're now working as a priest in Elene's Prospect, as well as a nurse assistant to the town doctor, and as the school nurse at Ozera.

This probably isn't going to go well for them. Teran is a culture of hustling and taking pride in strength, and Savarel very much wants to contribute to the community around them at the expense of their own drives and wellbeing.

But they aren't someone who wants to tell anyone about that right now! So when the PC first meets them, they're quietly getting on with it.

After a quick break for food and water, the group picks up the pace, reinvigorated with the knowledge that it won't be long before you've tracked down your prize. But Savarel's flagging: he keeps fiddling with the straps of his backpack, shifting the weight in a way you know means he's not comfortable. Matia mutters to you. "Savarel's carrying too much stuff. I'll grab some of it off him."

Writing Savarel

Savarel was the last character to fall into place when I was writing the Honor Bound outline. I'd had "hot priest" on a list of character ideas for forever, but in this case I stole Savarel from another game idea I'd had in which the priest character was a firebrand organising a rebellion (I think about Alvis from Killjoys a lot, OK). I didn't need a fully rebellious priest for Honor Bound, so I turned some dials up and down and came to the conclusion of writing them as a very principled person who wants to do right by their community—and includes everyone, even criminals who have been rejected by a lot of wider society, in that community.

Savarel, who hasn't spoken since the intrusion, raises her chin. "You're welcome to be blessed here, whoever you are. Whatever you've done." Lidia rounds on her, along with Mayor Tedesco. "They shouldn't even be allowed within the town bounds." Savarel is standing very still. Her expression is set. "It's church property," she says. "Since when does the town council have a say over holy ground?" Lidia flings out her arm in your direction. "$!{hb_title} $!{hb_surname} will be reasonable about this. $!{hb_theyre} a current officer." Savarel's mouth tightens. She looks very much as though she's praying for calm.

With Savarel I explore Teranese religion, life in Elene's Prospect, and Savarel's life as a very burned-out community leader. I wanted to have more than one character who wasn't always living in Ozera and had ties to the town like Matia, so Savarel fulfils that role.

They're not afraid of losing friends if they speak up, although that can get them into trouble, especially if the PC isn't on their side too. When I write passionately principled characters, even if I agree with their principles, I always give the PC the chance to argue with or ruin their goals, and Savarel's angry moments are some of my favourite to write. (Writing this now, I'm realising that's a theme: ruining Nico or Silvian in Blood Money, taking down Trevelyan in Royal Affairs…I like making characters I like suffer.)

They suffer a lot from not looking after themself and never slowing down. As the PC gets to know them, they may realise how deep that goes: the scenes where Savarel opens up emotionally were intense to write, but felt so very cathartic.

Savarel fishes in their coat pocket and pulls out a small, sealed jar the size of their fist. They stare down at it for a moment. "It's been odd getting settled," they say. "The last town was different. I think it's maybe better here. But. Anyway."

They pass you the jar. Inside are candied raspberries in syrup.

"Do you like raspberries?" they say. "Lorenz de Luca gave it to me for good luck. Don't feel obliged to take it or anything. But I don't really hold onto things. I wondered if you'd like it."

Savarel's friendship and romance paths can develop at a variety of paces. While they're not as quick to jump into getting physical as Matia or Raffi earlier in the game, they have their moments of spontaneity that can happen in various routes. A lot of their storyline is about caring for themself as well as caring for the PC and others around them; they can learn to be kinder to themself under the tough circumstances that arise during the course of the game. Though they have a sense of humour, they treat their relationships seriously.

Savarel is a character with whom the PC can have a monogamous romance, a triad relationship with Fiore (everyone romancing each other), or a V relationship with Denario (the PC romances Denario and Savarel, while Denario and Savarel aren't romancing each other). It was an interesting challenge writing all these relationships so romance felt like an organic development, when the characters don't always have much screentime together. Writing Honor Bound's romance was sometimes an enjoyable juggling act: I've learned a lot from doing it and am looking forward to putting the lessons into practice as I do more projects down the line.

You'll like Savarel if you like… mutual support, shared experiences of trauma and recovery, teaming up to work for something bigger than you, unpacking layers of obligation and survivor's guilt; someone who will do what they're certain is the right thing at cost to themselves or their reputation.

You'll like romancing Savarel if you like… looking after someone who finds it hard to look after themselves, being looked after at the same time, exploring vulnerability that isn't revealed to others, someone who will go all in on you, who wants to connect but struggles to feel they deserve it, who is very keen to give comfort and support.

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