Mortal Shell
COLD SYMMETRY • LEAD WRITER, WORLD BUILDING CONSULTANT
MORTAL SHELL WRITING SAMPLES
Mortal Shell is a deep action-RPG that tests players' sanity, while unravelling the secrets of a shattered world. I was the Lead Writer for this project, working with the founders of Cold Symmetry to develop a tragic and detailed setting full of bizarre and haunting characters. I wrote the dialogue for VO, item descriptions, and world building documents to guide and shape the non-linear narrative of Mortal Shell. The game was a surprise hit that struck a chord with fans of the Soulslike genre and critics alike.
NPC Dialogue - The Old Prisoner Reminisces
In the video and script below, the Old Prisoner - Mortal Shell’s main quest giver - discovers that the player possesses the body of his dead brother, Solomon. This unique dialogue is one of many that reveals the relationships of the NPCs to the player character. Both items and shells can trigger unique dialogues and side quests.
The Prisoner: You… you should be dead… Solomon.
No… it can’t be.
The Prisoner: [sigh of relief] I see it’s only his face and his form stretched across your frame.
Of course, your silence gives it away.
He always had too much to say… babbling on and on... incessantly.
His words wound into such impossible, staggering formations - often contradicting himself - beautifully.
I do miss him.
The Prisoner: Unfortunately, my dear brother spent too much time beneath those infinite columns. He promised to turn Tar into True Nektar…
And he succeeded.
I witnessed the world birthed from the fires of heaven…
Watched as it decayed into this wretched place…
Such a gift...
But when the vision ended, he stared at me with revulsion.
Shell Memories - Tiel
Each time the player unlocks a new ability for a Shell, they gain a glimpse into their memories as their bond grows. These brief moments reveal each character’s backstory, leading up to their deaths and how they’re tied to the factions and characters in Mortal Shell.
“The Oblate dipped a hand into the embers and the flames leapt at his touch. Drawing back his blackened fingers, he drew a sigil of ash beneath my eyes. The soot burned against my cheeks, growing hotter with each word of purification.”
“As smoke choked my vision and tears welled in my eyes, the world itself burned white hot. But beneath it all, there was nothing. No monsters, no gods, only oblivion. The consecrated fires revealed cinders and shadows, yet I strained to see more. Surely, these Sages offered more than the assurances of annihilation?”
“Within the wilds, we forgot our teachings and fell in with brigands. They mixed droplets of Tar with muddy spirits and made no promises of salvation. We drank heartily, stumbling from one camp to the next. We rutted like joyous animals in the filth.”
Item Descriptions
Items in Mortal Shell reveal the secrets of the strange cults and other survivors around Fallgrim. They can also trigger unique NPC dialogues. Sometimes, they even offer a little levity.
Martyr’s Blade
Short Description: A two-handed sword, achingly cold to grasp.
Extended Description: A remnant from a long dead empire. The First Martyr reserved this greatsword for heretics, but the blade fell upon many pious necks. In time devotion was not enough, the Enshrined whispered of new sins and new foes hidden within their ranks.
Petrified Winterglass
Short Description: This shard of winterglass fits inside of the Martyr’s Blade.
Extended Description: Though long petrified, this winterglass twinkles with a faint resonance. These gems are prized by the Martyrs for preserving the dead and the dying. Their frozen bodies become relics, broken apart and shared with the most pious of their order.
Crystalline Gland
Short Description: Hard as stone, this gland thaws slowly.
Extended Description: A crystallized gland, nearly translucent, reveals a void filled with nothing but bright, cold light. The glowing core holds a strange allure, turning the mind toward rapturous reminiscence.
Baguette
Short Description: A baguette of mundane origin.
Extended Description: A favorite of brigands and Devout alike. Though Nektar may nourish the spirit, bread fortifies the body. Best paired with a hearty soup.This baguette offers a small boost to health.
Corvid’s Hope - NPC Side Quest
The NPC Corvid has unique dialogs that trigger in response to each of the four shells. His side quest begins if the player interacts with him while possessing Harros.
[Dialog with Corvid when the player inhabits Harros.]
Corvid: Harros… I feared you were dead.
But here you are in the flesh.
Not that it matters.
We are all destined to feed the worms.
Best to get it over with.
But…
Before I end it all, would you do me one last favor?
I have a gift for my brother, Thestus.
[Accept Corvid’s Glimpse of Affection]
[If yes]
Corvid: Thank you.
I’m afraid I may never see him again.
Please, take this to him...
A little something from our childhood.
[Give player a Corvid’s Glimpse of Affection]
[If no]
Corvid: Of course.
I shouldn’t burden you with my troubles.
You are strong and brave…
everything that I’m not.
[If yes]
Thestus: Ah… yes.
He was a melancholy child.
Prone to tears and flights of fancy.
Here, take this.
I still remember when he was a hunter.
Perhaps he might remember, too.
[Give player Thestus Glimpse of Courage]
[If no]
You can’t fool me, stranger.
But if you change your mind.
Let us speak again without secrets.
[If yes]
Corvid: What’s this?
Oh… it’s me… it’s us.
Thank you for such kindness.
I was certain he was dead.
I imagined a hundred gruesome ends.
If he lives, then perhaps I might, too.
What am I doing in this miserable place?
I must find him.
[If no]
Corvid: [sigh] I fear the worst.
He’s probably strung up in a tree.
Or in the belly of a Grisha.
It’s better not to know.
I only hope his death was swift, painless.
It’s all anyone can hope for.
LEARN MORE
Take a deeper look at my work on Mortal Shell, follow the link below.