A Mandrake by Any Other Name

The mandrake root has been a staple of folklore and magic for well over a thousand years. Often eerily human in shape, with little arm- and leg-roots sprouting from its 'torso', it was assumed – due to the magical principle of sympathy, whereby a thing is believed to hold power over that which it resembles  – to have various magical properties. The smell of it could drive away demons. It was a popular component of fertility spells. Witches used it in the unguents which gave them the power of flight.

It was perilous, too. Not only was it deeply poisonous, but legends said that when a mandrake was pulled from the ground it would scream, and that anyone who heard it would die. Ambitious practitioners suggested a heartless workaround for magicians hoping to get their hands on fresh mandrake: get a dog. Tie the dog to the root. Go a long way away. Call the dog.

As perhaps the most famous of magical plants, mandrake was perfect for our needs. (Though it took us a little while to realise that. Originally, 'Mandrake' was just the codename for the game, and when it came time to choose a final name, it was too late – Mandrake had cast its spell!)

The Mandrake Legacy

The title of the game refers not only to the plant, but to a family. The Mandrakes were a house of the old aristocracy that was thought to have died out a hundred years ago: magnates, gardeners and sorcerers.

As rulers of the lands around Chandley, the Mandrakes had a profound effect on the landscape and society. They built a grand castle on the hill, and grew spell-gardens within its walls. They hunted in the woods, and dug mines into the cliffs and the mountains. They allied with, or feuded with, the other High Houses: Rose and Marigold and Lily. They courted the great Sophoi Republic, who were remaking the world with their own, rather different, approach to horticulture.

Some Mandrakes are remembered fondly, like Morgause Twice-Born, the founder of the dynasty, or Gadifer, who united the houses of Mandrake and Rose. Others, like Lionel the Summerlord, are recalled for their folly. And some – like the trickster, Tomlyn – haunt a hundred horrifying folktales.

Then, a century ago, the world changed, and the stars moved, and the practice of horticulture – the foundation of the human world – was forbidden. The simplest act of cultivation became perilous, and the great magical works of those aristocratic families turned on them. In a single day, the power of the Mandrakes was broken. Many died. Some fled. And the lands of Chandley have been without them since.

Until you arrive.

The Framing Situation

You might know us as the studio who made Sunless Skies (and its sister, Sunless Sea). As proud as we are of Sunless Skies and the work we did on it, there's always something we wish we'd done differently, and in this case, it's that we'd done more to ease the player into the setting. 

Sunless Skies looked like a space game, but fundamental things like time and gravity (and indeed space itself) didn’t work the way you'd expect. What's more, in our eagerness to let the player loose in the open world, we threw them into the deep end by casting them in the role of an experienced skyfarer. You were playing a character who knew more about the setting than you did, and while we seeded grounding information early in the game, it was always a struggle to make it clear, and to ensure you saw it when it would be most useful. 

Mandrake’s setting is again one rich with mystery and oddity – this is a world where horticulture is a perilous magical activity; where a god might roost in your chimney; where fires die at sunset and the night is given over to other, inhuman things. So this time, we wanted a framing situation that helped you get your feet under you early. We also wanted it to have an impact all through play; to make the world respond to your presence.

We decided that:

• the main character would be a newcomer to Chandley
• who would nevertheless have a connection to it
• and who other characters couldn’t help but have an opinion on

At the beginning of the game, you have been summoned to Chandley from a distant land. You have just learned you are the last of the Mandrakes, and only by uncovering their legacy and secrets will you be able to advance your understanding of the horticultural arts. How you respond to this legacy is up to you. Perhaps you’ll embrace your heritage; perhaps you’ll reject it, or ignore it. Perhaps you’ll try to take responsibility for it.

What's more, it’s impossible for your new neighbours not to have an opinion on the Mandrakes. Though some might see the Mandrakes as romantic vestiges of a lost past, others have been happy to see the back of them, and are not pleased at their return. Some blame the Mandrakes, in their pride and their power, for the world’s upheaval. Some fear the Mandrakes' magic; some are enthralled by it. The situation you're entering is charged, not bland or neutral.

This, then, is how Mandrake begins. With a mysterious newcomer, the stirring of an ancient legacy, and a community unsure what you mean for their way of life. Best of luck, young Mandrake!

Join us on the new Failbetter Discord to talk more about Mandrake.