Loving it so far.
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Unless the MC from An Unexpectely Green Journey reformed the Orc Army to be defenders instead of raiders or completely disbanded the army until needed, it is seen on the Chieftain/King Path in the Endgame after the MC dealt with the Empire. I donât know why after hundreds of years, all of MCâs work had been reversed or erased, uniting the Clans, dealing with the other races (Elves, Dwarves, and Halfings) and the Empire through war or diplomacy, and defending all of Arbit against the Cyclposes either though the Orc Army or a United Force of Arbit, all of this⌠It is like the laws and ideas the MC built have been forgotten.
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All empires fall eventually, not much more complicated than that
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Like the Roman Empire?
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More or less a one-to-one comparison here
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Iâve been asked about the orc legacy before. Below is a Patreon post, available to all members, including the free tier.
When Rome fell in the West, Western Europe destabilised. Insights and cultural achievements were lost. It wasnât until the rediscovery of the knowledge of the Classical world, the Renaissance some 8 centuries after, when Europe began its age of rapid advancement. This doesnât include the Islamic parts of Europe, noting that the Islamic Golden Age was prompted much by the even earlier rediscovery of Classical knowledge itself.
The Grandardgardian Empire is closer to the Roman Empire than the Green Empire. Look at the Mongol Empire, far larger than Rome, though with a much, much smaller cultural legacy. The Green Empire is more like this.
The continent of modern Behatland looks the way it is is because of the Green Empire. The orcs pacified the entire continent, apart from the most northern dwarven realms. No longer do monsters lurk in the darkest places. It is an enduring situation felt by everyone who lives there. Also note, that when the other races defeated the Green Empire, orcs were hated. There would have been a cultural push against anything orcish.
Still, if you read the link, you will see some orc achievements persisted. But we must realise, the orcs of Krog Pile are not humans, dwarves or elves, they are not cultural titans. Apart from rare exceptions, orcs are warriors above all else. Or lazy gluttons. Yet, the city of Krogâs Rock persists, as does the nation of Krogâs Gift. Without the Green Empire, orcs may well have been eradicated by their internal infighting and the hatred of the other races.
I think it would have been exceeding unlikely that the majority of the Green Emperorâs successors would possess a measure of his abilities. He was remarkable, unique amongst orcs. Not only among orcs, the Green Emperor will forever be one of the greatest historical figures in the history of the world of Krog Pile. Orcs may no longer rule, but all live in the shadow of the Green Empire.
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Hi ash-smudged, fearless road warriors,
The latest update, with an extra 110K+ of revving content, totalling over 995K (almost a million!!!), has just dropped for Krog Tier patrons on Patreon.
Create the largest road fleet in Zthullu, battle against the gangs of the wasteland, defeat a possessed Cold Pact Crawler and forge a new nation, the Free Country. Your band of pirates, the dregs of the ash, possess the grit and ingenuity to rise above their misery and the mistakes of the old world. Even in Zthullu, the toxic, barren, haunted land, those with the will and courage can persevere.
-Added two new testing starts, one for those with oily, engine-delving panache and one for wannabe snake mages starting in New Yerishee. Be advised, these test-starts present you with an unrealistically well-rounded and competent MC.
-Build your fleet to take on all-comers and bring order to the ash.
-Use tactics, diplomacy or sheer force to tame the largest gangs in the wastes.
-Fight the Zthullu Zoomers, a bunch of goblins led by orcs driving a giga-carrier.
-Overcome the Ashland Angels, dray-driving dwarves whoâve carved a town of workshops, roads and turrets from the scrap theyâve found.
-Crush the Bulletlockers, a bunch of carrier-riding humans, led by a demonically possessed nutter commanding a throng of mutants.
-Finally take on the undead-infested ruin of the Cold Pact Crawler, Pale Lady. Become the Abhidhar and battle the demonic force at the great metal-beastâs core, or salvage her cannons to use against her.
-Found a capital and a new nation, represented on the map in the stats screens.
-Added title music.
In ash and hopelessness, can you create the foundations for a new home?
Coming soon, in a month or so, in a future public update.
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Whoa! This update looks like if Highway Wars and Life of a Wizard (The Snake Mage Startup) had a baby and gave it Mad Max Military Equipment
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Haha!
Love the way you put that!
It is a mesh of lots of things, definitely bits of Highway Wars and Mad Max, maybe a tiny dash of Dune- though it is wrapped up in different packaging and lore. No nukes and oil shortages yet!
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Man how do you put out updates so quick while also maintaining the quality of your writing? Its crazyđ
Very exited for this game, I absolutely adored ORC GAME and hopefully this one releases in the next year or two so i can play it in its entirety.
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Quantity and quality in one game
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You are like the True God in all of Arbit/Behatland @NumberedEntity, to the Orcs, you might as well be the True Krog, to the Humans, you might as well rule over the Imperial Pantheon.
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Hi mate, thanks for your support, I really appreciate it. A Shirek of Ash and Fire will be 2 books. Part 1 will, almost certainly, be sent to Hosted Games this year. Most of it is complete, though a fair amount remains.
The current Patreon update is pretty large- phew! âalthough it involves lots of scenes with repeated text and minor variations, which pad the wordcount. I also think the style I use, Fighting Fantasy style (at least I think of it like this), is action-orientated and fast-paced. It is not as taxing to write this type of scene as the more introspective-style IF.
I am closer to the âgameâ part of gambooks than the book part. Here, I want the feelings of the MC to be those of the player (mostly), which means I get to focus more on choices and events.
If I take a few daysâ break from writing, I start slow but then rapidly pick up pace. I have purposefully tried to discipline myself and have formed some productive habits. Although, real life does always seek to unravel those.
Mostly, I have given myself a personal mission to create a whole arc for the world I am creating. I really want to do this and, so far, have been able to push through. I love that Hosted Games has given me a chance to do this and to let my efforts be put in front of an audience who helps with their encouragement.
Massive thanks mate. I hope I can continue to provide adventures which people enjoy. I try my best, and without your support, I donât think I could muster the energy to do so.
@Patrick_Cody02
Bless you, mighty warrior! Thanks for always being in my corner, mate. You know it means the world to me.
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Hello, I have a question is it normal the rebel path is so short like I just played and I did a rebel letâs play but it was not 800k words
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The word count is the total in the entire game and that includes code, actual play length is much shorter because of the variability, and there are still bits and pieces missing that havenât been written yet
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Hi, @Adramel, thanks for playing.
-You probably know this, but just in case- for a full playthrough you must use a Normal START. The Tester Starts do not give you the whole demo.
As @Sujan_Dhakal said, there are a great many variables here. The Rebel Revolution Path is currently only on a private Patreon build. It will be released to the public (here in the HG forums) in a few weeks. This means the rebel path is shorter than the Basilisk and the Royalist path in the current build here.
Almost every major event gives you choices, which lead to more choices, that are handled differently depending on your stats and your own decisions. For example, much of your time on the crawler will vary depending on your job. Your crawler job can dramatically change the events you encounter, and some of the people you meet. With some jobs it is possible to side with the Basilisk. Other jobs give you a chance to serve the Evagreys personally (if you have the stomach for obsequious grovelling) and⌠some would say âgrotesquelyâ. One lets you become an armoured super soldier with a jet pack. After the revolution, the crawler path splits apart completely, at least for a while.
I am making this game with multiple playthroughs in mind. It is not a sandbox, but it is not linear.
Right now I am building the New Yeirshee Path and the Brakka Path. Depending on your choices, these paths can entwine. These are separate from the Crawler paths- although there is a point when the the failed revolutionaries of the crawler can join up with the New Yeirshee fleet. Both these paths have some months of work to do.
After this, I will be working on the concluding series of events, which will see the MC end up in more or less the same place- conveniently for book 2- although all your variables will then be carried over to book 2 (at least the important ones) which will affect your story there.
Like the old Fighting Fantasy gamebooks had 400 paragraphs, you wouldnât see many of them on a single playthrough. All else being equal, linearity gives you more words to read and a longer playtime. Meaningful choices, by necessity, will cordon off parts of the story.
I would say, @Adramel, try another run with a different type of character and see if you enjoy it. The rebel run is like the âtrue youâ waiting for the update, but, if you want, play as a charming elf royalist dispatch, or ingenious dwarven, Basilisk cultist engine mate. Youâll be able to see where some of those other words have scampered off to.
EDIT:
To illustrate a point.
Once you get to Fort Ard you are either a royalist, rebel or Basilisk cultist. Boom! The revolution starts. Survive the city and get back to the crawler.
Path 1- You fail (generally ends up in the same place, if you escape the city)
Path 2- Royalist Path- How do you do this
Path 2.1 Major choice, followed by smaller ones
or
Path 2.2 Major choice, followed by smaller ones
or
Path 2.3 Major choice, followed by smaller ones
Path 3- Basilisk Path- How do you do this
Path 3.1 Major choice, followed by smaller ones
or
Path 3.2 Major choice, followed by smaller ones
or
Path 3.3 Major choice, followed by smaller ones
Path 4- Rebel Path- How do you do this
Path 4.1 Major choice, followed by smaller ones
or
Path 4.2 Major choice, followed by smaller ones
or
Path 4.3 Major choice, followed by smaller ones
So, in a simplified way of showing this, there might be 10 different ways to reach the point where you survive Fort Ard. This will narrow afterwards once you get back to the crawler. (To be sure, Fort Ard was insane to work through, it got very complicated keeping track of things there.)
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UPDATE 10 (approx 80K, 885k+ total- 13th Arpil 2025)- The Rebels and the Revolution
Hi frenzied mob of discontent anti-monarchists,
I present the latest update, with an extra 80K+ of rebellious content, totalling over 885k.
Here, weâll rid the crawler of tyrants and decide who will become the first Chancellor of the Republic of the Despairâs Demise. Let us hope it wonât become a despairing republic.
-One of two starting points, enter the crawler after winning the battle of Fort Ardâs and the Despairâs Demiseâs road fleets.
-Fight through a maze of towering containers, mopping up opposition, with the help of any allies whoâve joined your cause.
-Or assist Rumble, the Union of Engine Mates Representative, on a mission to sabotage the main generators on a deck housing a static shield and a contained steam elemental.
-The second entry point sees you entering the crawler with a tribe of Goblins through the towering artillery barrels.
-Youâll engage in assassination missions to serve Gibletiâs vendetta against influential royalists.
-Arrive at the upper deck for the bloody showdown with Commodore Evagrey. Here, youâll encounter a changed Avalina.
-Join the rebel council and engage in a lightning election campaign. The victor will be declared the first Chancellor of the new republic.
-Make promises, court favours, and schemes with underhand tactics. Or try to take the more moral course, setting an example worthy of the votes of the war-weary masses.
-Come with TESTER starting points to bring you closer to the new content. Select one of the ârebel startsâ after you have made your character.
-We now have title music, a track called Steampunk Victorian Orchestra- by Luis Humanoide 2.
Check it out on YouTube with the link below:
Royalty Free Steampunk Victorian Music
Your arrival has tipped the balance in favour of the rebels, though the future is still uncertain. Yet, as you throw aside the traditions of the past, you may rise to control the Despairâs Demise, the greatest weapon Ardland has ever built. Pretty good for a street rat from the alleys of Grandardgard.
Please report any typos and bugs! I hope you enjoy it!!!
Long live the Revolution!
EDIT: The title music doesnât always play when clicking the link to the game; it may have something to do with how cogdemos work. If you restart on the title screen, the music will start to play. It is only on the title screen, and once you press âstartâ it will stop.
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Let me ask something @NumberedEntity, what would be the highest rank and amount of influence in the Entire Series of A Shriek of Ash and Fire (Books 1 and 2)? I feel like the MC is soaring high in the Career Ladder in Royalist, Rebel, and Basilisk Factions with the right stats and decisions
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Iâm a fan of the first game and Iâm surprised I havenât heard about this. One question tho, will the choices you made in the first game affect the second game? Or is it completely separate?
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For risk of spoilers, and also that much of this is still unwritten (regarding book 2), I canât give a full answer yet.
You will be able to rise to an influential position in any of the routes. This is not a sandbox, our MC is someone who plays a significant role during these times, one way or the other (unless you die!). Yes, good choices and stats can make you even more influential.
I think, since you can become a sort of president, the rebel path might give you the most power in what is written so far. But then, you are a âpresidentâ of a rebellious state, lacking food and supplies and liable to meet your maker at any moment. However, for the royalists, acting with the full support of a monarch, while not being the monarch and tied to social conventions, might give you even more power and freedom in certain situations. The Basilisk is a functional collective of useful parts, none necessarily higher than the other, although âCommand Conduitsâ can overrule other sections. And the Basilisk itself is at the top of all.
But, you will be able to rise further in the future, along other paths. Or fall further.
Hi mate, Iâm sure I recognise your name. Have you commented on the Green Forum before? In any case, cheers for playing it!
This question has, understandably, been asked before. This game takes place over 1,000 years after the first game. It is not so much a sequel as a follow-up. I have taken as a canon ending that the Green Emperor is a fact, and the Green Empire has long fallen, whether it was your orc or someone. The orcs were notoriously bad at recording history, so events are murky, much misremembered, allowing as much room for head canon as possible.
But, I will not be importing variables from the first game. I have considered asking the player questions at the start of this game for some choices, but the number of questions that would need to be asked would be unrealistic. I fear it would all become far too complex, it would make working on a project feel like a quagmire. At present, I have assumed a vague canon in order to continue the arc of the world of Krog Pile.
But, we can always assume multi-verses (no fear, I wonât be using them in my game), but I mean for player convenience.
If A Shriek of Ash and Fire does well enough, I will consider implementing a cosmetic âflavour-text patchâ as a bonus, relying on asking the player some questions. But this is not the top priority at the moment.
Cheers!!!
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