Hello detectives,
The Séance of Blake Manor is full of many interesting and mysterious characters, and we wanted to tell you a little more about some of them.
We decided to start with the druid, Domhnall Ó Finn, brought to life by the talented voice actor Thomas Collins.
Ó Finn is a gruff but jolly character you encounter on your first morning at Blake Manor. It is easy to tell from his clothing that he is a Druid, tasked by his ancestors to protect the land and this duty is what leads him to be at Blake Manor ahead of the Grand Séance.
Druids are the closest thing the Pagan faith has to priests. They are lorekeepers, storytellers, and trained healers. In mythology they are often believed to have magical abilities such as dominion over the elements and seeing the future.
As somebody outside of the traditional social caste of the time, Ó Finn was freer to comment on things and provided one of the outsider views of the event, but in his case, an outsider from the same country and region.
Another cool aspect of the character is that he is an Irish Traveller, an ethnicity in Ireland. They are a very spiritual nomadic people, which fitted Ó Finn well. They have their own language, Gammon, which we peppered through Ó Finn’s dialogue, too.
We worked with Oein DeBhairduin, the Inclusive Histories Curator of Traveller Culture with the National Museum of Ireland, and a Traveller himself, to ensure he, his people and their language were accurately and respectfully presented in the game.
As best we can tell, he is also the first Irish Traveller in a video game. This also means that Thomas Collins is the first authentic Irish Traveller voice to be heard in a video game.
Thomas Collins is an Actor based In Dublin. He first started acting at the age of 14 when he joined Roundabout Youth Theatre. There, he played roles in youth theatre plays and workshopped with some of the best in the Irish Acting Industry. During the Dublin Fringe Festivals, he played many roles in various plays that were also nominated for the spirit of the Fringe award.
As with all who find themselves at Blake Manor, Ó Finn’s fate rests in your hands. Can you find Evelyn Deane and save everyone at the hotel before it’s too late?
The Séance of Blake Manor is OUT NOW
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1395520/The_Sance_of_Blake_Manor/