Segredo Transmontano - The Game
Come discover the wonders of Trás-os-Montes, and unveil its deepest secrets, in a thrilling interactive experience.
Segredo Transmontano, is a 2.5D adventure game, designed for mobile platforms. This game aims to test the concept of Mirror Worlds and real-world gamification, in the Northern Interior region of Portugal. The prototype, is currently focused in my hometown of Alfândega da Fé, a beautiful hidden gem of the Trás-os-Montes region.
This game is being developed in partnership with BLC3 and Norte 2020, and is part of my master's dissertation project.
THE KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN SPURS
The small town of Alfândega was used as a stocking point for merchants, and a resting stop for weary travellers. The town’s calm ambience and refreshing greenery made it a preferred spot amongst merchants, travellers, and lords alike. And its unclaimed state, made it a large target to power-hungry individuals. As it were, the town’s serene atmosphere was crushed when the Moor troops came up from Spain and reclaimed both territory and faith.Now, with King Abdel-Ali as its ruler, and with the Damsel Tribute in place, the town of Alfândega became a site of death and fear. This tribute demanded that every damsel, that was to be married, was brought to the King, the very night before said marriage. However, when Abdel-Ali decided to take as his, Knight Casimiro’s betrothed Teolinda, a giant battle between the Moors and the Knights of the Golden Spurs erupted. This battle was one of the hardest the Knights had ever fought and the Moors were quickly gaining ground. However, when all hope was lost and most knights were either dead or dying, a miracle occurred. Out of the fog and bloodstained dirt, a holy woman emerged, and started applying a sacred balm to the fallen knights, thus making them hole again. With renewed hope, and strength, the Knights of the Golden Spurs fought on, thus defeating the king and his troops.
Once the battle was won, the people hailed the healer and named her Nossa Senhora de Balsamo na Mão (our Lady of Balm in Hand). In her memory and of the victory she brought, the people named a Sanctuary after her (Balsamão) and changed the name of the town of Alfândega to that of Alfândega da Fé*.
*The name of this town can be translated as Customhouse (Alfândega) of Faith (da Fé).
The sole daughter of Dom Rodrigo Ventura de Melo, Lord of Castro, and bride of Knigh Casimiro, Teolinda is one of the heroes of this story. With the weight of the Damsel Tribute in place, Lady Teolinda decided to keep her marriage to Casimiro a secret. However, she could never predict what came the eve of her wedding: her handmaiden, betrayed her and called the King’s troops, in exchange of a few gold pieces. Taken unexpectedly, in the dark of the night, Teolinda had no chance to defend herself from the troops. Once inside the castle, and waiting for the King, she grabs a ceremonial dagger from the mantlepiece and hides it on the sleeve of her dress. Teolinda’s plan to kill the King is thrown out the window when a commotion is heard outside the castle, thus alerting all troops, and the king himself. Taking advantage of this, our hero manages to escape unscathed, and equipped with a breastplate and scimitar, from the castle, and decides to join the fight against the Moors.
Born and raised a warrior, Casimiro, albeit yet young, found himself as Commander and Chief to the Christian Army of The Knights of the Golden Spurs. His noble heart and everlasting courage always led his comrades towards victory. However, his courage and will to fight wavers momentarily, once his betrothed Teolinda is taken from him, in the eve of their marriage, in order to fulfil the dreadful Damsel Tribute placed by the King. Enraged and fearful of the fate of his bethrothed, Casimiro finds his strength and, with his army by his side, initiates a ferocious attack on the King's castle. Once his beloved is safe, Casimiro drives himself on a quest to eradicate all influence and remains of the Moor presence in the land, and take his revenge against the King.
