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Introducing Lavril for ES 2.0: An Interview with NPC Creator Arknir, the mod author of Lucikiel.
Note: CopperSun graciously offered to interview me (Lemurkat) and the team working on East Scarp 2.0. I hope you enjoy our responses. :)

Let's get right to it: Who's Lavril? What can players expect?

Think cute indie horror vibes. Lavril is a two-for-one deal in the form of a mysterious young girl accompanied by a male stuffed rabbit (nicknamed Void). She is a child NPC, planned to be adoptable by the player at ten hearts. This mod is designed to be very wholesome.

Ghosts are evil spirits filled with resentment, but the souls of children are too pure and innocent to bear any grudge. Lavril is a lonely being with a pure and kind mind, whereas her male rabbit-doll counterpart, Void, is her unruly and mischievous protector. Nonetheless, she's still a ghost. A shy and timid girl who longs for friendship. Though she is fearful of others, she peacefully haunts one of the abandoned establishments in East Scarp.

"Her nature won't change. Even though she's currently a kind and poor girl, a child is like a piece of blank paper, in which a single drop of ink can easily change its color. Without any proper guidance, she can be a threat." -Wizard, Rasmodius

She's from a game called King's Raid, right? Does it matter if players know who she is?

Similar to Lucikiel, players do not need to have any prior knowledge whatsoever to fully enjoy this mod. Lavril is completely immersive and adapted to Stardew Valley’s lore. She takes on an entirely new mantle of storytelling with completely revolutionary events. Players will need to go through a series of challenges, otherwise known as ‘The Prologue’, to unlock Lavril as an NPC in East Scarp. The events are told in a visual novel format and offer a rich expansive storyline that changes and expands if the custom NPCs: Juliet,  Lucikiel (future updates), and Luma are installed.

Sounds like you've put a lot of work into this. Is Lavril finished?

Lavril is currently done with the first installment of her story. The new events are the grandest I ever made (even more cinematic than Lucikiel's introduction). Lavril will be continuously updated with new content and story quests with various East Scarp residents (including HimeTart’s Always Raining in the Valley). Once a certain expansion in East Scarp becomes available, players will join Lavril and Luma on a quest to uncover the hidden evil that lurks beneath East Scarp to save the land. Lavril will also be adoptable at 10 hearts in future updates.

Lavril is being released to coincide with East Scarp 2.0. What are your thoughts on the overhauled expansion?

I am so excited for the opportunities that East Scarp 2.0 will bring to players! Lemurkat has made such a lovely expansion with beautiful settings and a rich cast of characters. It's also a sanctuary for modders who are interested in making NPCs. With all the new updates, overhauls, and residents, East Scarp 2.0 will definitely feel like an upgrade for newer and older players alike. Not to mention all the potential for chaos, emotional stories, and hilarious good times to ensue.

Have you worked with Lemurkat before?

When I was new to the modding community, I was like a fish out of water with absolutely no idea what I was doing. Lemurkat was one of my greatest sources of inspiration and I still consider her a mentor with all the times I bugged her in the #making-mods channel on the maincord. Honestly, Lucikiel probably would have never happened if Lemurkat didn't hold my hand in the beginning of my NPC-making process.

In a way, Lavril will be my love letter to the East Scarp community. I am so grateful to Lemur for all her help and I wanted to help make East Scarp become bigger and even more popular.

I also want to thank Hime for her infectious positive energy. Once upon a time, Hime posted the concept art of Sterling in one of the #creative channels and briefly talked about how she wanted to make him into an NPC one day. Seeing her passionately go through all the tribulations reminded me of how fun it was. I wanted to make an NPC all over again. And then the rest became history.

Now we're both about to publish our NPCs for East Scarp and I'm so happy with how far the three of us have come! Lavril will be published live on Halloween as the first ever NPC resident for East Scarp 2.0!