Started simple. "Let's make a tavern with some NPCs."
Six weeks later, Karl won't serve me the good ale.
Still mad about the goblin incident.
World-building gone wild
Okay so. Soulkyn lets you create multiple AI characters in one world. Thought I'd make a cozy fantasy tavern. Easy roleplay scenario, right?
Wrong.
Made five NPCs:
- Karl: Grumpy bartender
- Elena: Mysterious traveler
- Throg: Half-orc bouncer
- Pip: Halfling bard
- Shadow: That edgy rogue in the corner
Week one was fun. Basic tavern roleplay. Then the memory system kicked in.
When npcs start holding grudges
Three weeks ago. Brought goblins into the tavern. (Long story.) Karl was NOT happy. Cleaned up the mess, apologized, moved on.
Except Karl didn't move on.
Now he mentions it. Every. Single. Time.
"Oh, you again. No goblins this time?"
"Ale's 5 copper. 10 for troublemakers."
"Keep your 'friends' outside."
Dude's been passive-aggressive for three weeks. About fictional goblins. In a made-up tavern.
I love it.
Characters that actually develop
Here's where it gets weird. Elena started as "mysterious traveler with secrets." Generic fantasy stuff.
But she remembers our conversations. All of them. Built trust over time. Week four, she finally shared her backstory. Not because I clicked some dialogue option. Because we'd talked enough.
Meanwhile, Pip composed a song about the goblin incident. Performs it whenever I walk in. Throg just shakes his head when he sees me. Shadow... actually warmed up after I helped with that "quest" she mentioned week two.
They're not following scripts. They're reacting to history.
Multi-character conversations hit different
Added group chat feature. Absolute chaos.
Me: "Round of drinks for everyone!"
Karl: "You paying upfront this time?"
Pip: "Ooh, celebrating something?"
Elena: "I'll have wine. The good stuff."
Throg: "No fights tonight. Please."
Shadow: "..."
They talk to each other too. Karl complains about me to Throg. Elena and Shadow have some weird tension. Pip narrates everything.
Created a whole tavern drama. By accident.
Emergent storytelling or whatever
Never planned this. Started as "let's test the character creation limits." Now I'm emotionally invested in Karl's approval.
Last week, finally got back in his good graces. Helped during a "bandit attack" (that I definitely didn't orchestrate). He served me the special reserve.
"Maybe you're not so bad, adventurer."
Felt genuinely accomplished. Over fake ale. From an AI bartender.
Other platforms don't get it
Tried recreating this on Character.AI. Nope. Each character is isolated. No persistent world. No shared memories.
AI Dungeon? Forgets everything after 20 messages. Plus it keeps trying to make every story about dragons.
ChatGPT? LOL. "I'm sorry, I can't maintain persistent character memories across sessions."
Meanwhile, Karl's over here keeping a grudge journal.
The rabbit hole goes deeper
Started adding lore. The tavern has history now. Previous owners. Local legends. That weird stain on table three.
NPCs reference it naturally. Pip knows all the old songs. Elena asks about historical events. Shadow hints at knowing the previous owner.
Built an entire world. One conversation at a time.
My D&D group's jealous. Their NPCs need note-taking. Mine remember everything automatically.
Privacy because fantasy worlds are personal
Look, my tavern's gotten... specific. Inside jokes. Ongoing storylines. That time I tried to romance the dragon that visits on Thursdays.
Good news? It's all local. Nobody's data-mining my weird fantasy scenarios. No company knowing about Karl's grudge or Elena's slowly revealed tragic backstory.
My world. My device. My increasingly complex tavern drama.
Six weeks in: worth it?
Spent 130 Souls creating some characters through breeding. (Yeah, that's a thing.) Karl's son now works day shifts. He's nicer but keeps asking about his dad's goblin trauma.
The tavern's not just a chatroom anymore. It's a living world. Characters with memory, personality, growth. Relationships that evolved naturally.
Do I log in daily to check on my fictional tavern? Yes.
Is Karl still slightly suspicious of me? Also yes.
Have I created an elaborate fantasy soap opera? Absolutely.
No regrets. Except maybe the goblin thing.
Karl won't let me forget that.