Duskguard [WIP] [50% of Prologue] [16K words] [Dark, Low, Medieval Fantasy]

Your eyes fly open, and your other senses slowly awaken. You’re lying on the floor in some unknown place. Rain’s sound is muffled, with a thunderstorm raging just outside. Your sight falls on the silhouette sitting by the fireplace, murmuring their prayer to the gods. You have no recollection of how you got there.

Furthermore, your brain can’t remember your name. But, it seems that that’s not your only trouble - the door creaks and someone hooded enters the room.

Greetings, everyone! I have begun work on my first ChoiceScript game titled Duskguard. Its events are set in a Dark, Low, Medieval Fantasy world, where each step you take needs to be tread lightly. If you find the premise I wrote above the title lacking, then please, be aware that I did it only to keep the suspense.

However, I do realize that, in order to catch readers’ attention, I have to list some things that I and many other people on this forum consider substantial to know before diving into the story.

World

As I wrote above, the game’s events are set in a dark, low, medieval fantasy world. I know that the plethora of works on the forum share the same genre, but it was always my favorite kind of story to think about.

Anyways, here are some pieces of info.

The kingdom in which the plot takes place is named Advalurn. Its territory is big enough to occupy half of the continent.

Weapons employed are swords, bows, spears, catapults, mangonels, and so on (you get the idea).

The populace is divided into the usual groups: peasants, soldiers, royalty, and the church.

The magic is nearly extinct, to the point where most people don’t even know it exists. However, some singular members of royalty (and very high-ranked soldiers) hold the knowledge and secrets of it. But, if humans are not using magic to the full extent, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the realm is devoid of it - many unnatural creatures and dangers lurk just beneath the surface of ordinary things, waiting to be uncovered.

The fact that nobles are too fixated on their own bickerings to notice that the level of lawlessness has risen, has led to criminals forming so-called syndicates and frequenting cases of corruption and misdeeds.

That’s why the need for military power has suddenly increased, leading to many new soldiering academies arising.

While these events unfold, our protagonist wakes up in an unfamiliar hut that’s located hell knows where.

Where they’ll end up is only to be decided by the player.

Protagonist

I will make the protagonist part of the story, trying to treat them like any other character. MC will react, feel, and think on their own, with players shaping their protagonist’s personality into what they want.

Some of the readers may not like this approach, but I wouldn’t have done it the other way. I don’t want the main character to be a faceless doll of some kind, only acting as a reader’s link between reality and the fictional world.

Thus, I want the narrative to be in-depth, highlighting every action that the characters take: similar to how the author of “The Golden Rose” did it (although with fewer descriptions - I suck at it), straying from “The Lost Heir” fast-paced storytelling (no offense to Mike Walter, just not my kind of pacing).

Important note #1: You can think of this story as of power fantasy - the protagonist will be stronger than most people, and their potential will be nearly endless. And I’m not joking.

Important note #2: The protagonist will be involved in a lot of combat scenes.

Features
  • Play as a man, woman, or non-binary.
  • Travel the world and rule the fates of its many residents.
  • Decide what are you living for, whether it’s helping other people, upholding the law, or satisfying your own needs (even wicked ones).
  • Influence other characters’ development, guiding them toward what you desire.
  • Define your fighting style: be an agile, precise trickster or strong, durable heavy-hitter - or combine it however you want.
  • Find love, befriend, or antagonize four gender-selectable ROs.
  • Rise to the highest positions in your kingdom, thus being able to impact its regime.
  • Spare your enemies ØⱤ ₴Ⱡ₳Ʉ₲Ⱨ₮ɆⱤ ₮ⱧɆ₥ Ⱡł₭Ɇ ₵₳₮₮ⱠɆ
Romance Options

Julian / Julia [M/F]

A kindhearted, compassionate person who always tries to help anyone in need. Condemns using violence to reach their goals, preferring to employ speechcraft and diplomacy, only resorting to fighting when there’s no other way. However, their behavior changes drastically when under a very stressful situation…

Obsidian, straight hair coupled with welcoming black eyes. Julian keeps his hair at a medium length, ending just at his chin. Julia, on the other hand, lets her hair grow so it ends at her waist. Their skin is smooth and fair. They stand at approximately 173cm (5’8") tall, their build slim and slight.

Artbreeder Portrait (may impact your perception of the character)

Julian [M]
Julia [F]

Rayner / Reina [M/F]

An adventurous, fun-loving person who always strives to be where the commotion is. Despite this, they have a strong sense of loyalty and duty to their task or goal. You can rely on them for almost everything - they have never spilled a single secret or abandoned their mission.

Stunningly white, curled short hair which they keep styled up coupled with expressive blue eyes. They have rich, brown skin. Their height is approximately 188cm (6’2"), and their build is broad and muscular.

Artbreeder Portrait (may impact your perception of the character)

Rayner [M]
Reina [F]

Elias / Elisanna [M/F]

A calm and calculating person who’s not quick to show their emotions and thoughts. They are pragmatistic to a fault - as long as there’s a mission they consider sensible, they won’t mind resorting to either a diplomatic approach or acts some call monstrous - whatever is more optimal.

Light blonde, straight hair coupled with piercing gray eyes. Elias keeps his hair just above his ears while Elisanna styles it into a bob cut. Their skin is porcelain and spotless. They stand at approximately 160cm (5’3") tall, and their build is thin and delicate

Artbreeder Portrait (may impact your perception of the character)

Elias [M]
Elisanna [F]

Noel / Noelle [M/F]

An ambitious and competitive person who tries to be the best at any discipline they pick up. Their main priority is always bettering themselves and satisfying their wants, not caring about what others think. They also love fighting - it gives them a feeling of domination and success, which they so crave, resulting in ubiquitous brutality. Surprisingly enough, they are conscious of it.

Raven, slightly messy hair coupled with crimson-red eyes. Their hair reaches their chin - Noel styles it back while Noelle lets it grow naturally. Noel also has a slight stubble on his chin. Their skin is pale, with diagonal scar on their forehead. They stand at approximately 196cm (6’5") tall, and their build is athletic and shredded.

Artbreeder Portrait (may impact your perception of the character)

Noel [M]
Noelle [F]

Inspiration

I am inspired by various works of fiction, ranging from novels (“The Lord of the Rings”) and mangas (“Berserk”, “Vinland Saga”) to videogames (Souls series, particularly “Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” and “The Elder Scrolls” series), as well as the works of the authors of this site.

Warnings
  • Extreme violence
  • Gore
  • Strong language

The list will be updated based on the content in demo.

Update logs

3rd July 2023 - 90% of the prologue, the first update, brings approximately 37k words of new content, raising the overall word count to 53k words.

Current word count (SFW demo):

  • Excluding command lines: 16561 words
  • Including command lines: 17613 words

Current word count (NSFW demo):

  • Excluding command lines: 53788 words
  • Including command lines: 57292 words

Important note: I know you hear this a lot, but English is not my native language. Therefore, I’d appreciate any type of feedback.

Important note #2: This is an SFW thread that contains a SFW demo, and all future updates won’t be published here. Only NSFW demo will be updated. I will post updates in both NSFW and SFW threads so that everybody can keep an eye on the progress.

----------------------[Old demo]------------------[Tumblr]-----------------[NSFW Thread]----------------

252 Likes

Not sure if I approve of Berserk being one of the inspirations for this WIP but I’ll ignore it and give this a try.

1 Like

Gave it a playthrough and I liked what I read.

5 Likes

I like what I’ve read I can’t wait to read more.

2 Likes

Interesting premise. I like the writing style. Is it Soulsborne inspired?


I suggest either changing the color of the text images, or using different one for the dark mode. Black on gray is hard to read.

4 Likes

They’re referring to my MC as him, even though she’s a girl.

I liked turning the tables and killing those two, they got their roles wrong in this movie lol.

5 Likes

Is this going to be heavily influenced by my stats? Just from reading the description i get the feeling it wont but ill give it a try.

wow, love the prologue, I didn’t expect the plot to be like that,…
I hope the story in this project can be great. If indeed the author wants to present a storyline like the Vinland saga and Berserk, maybe you’d like to consider labeling this project “adult-fiction”?
then regarding the warning: extreme violence and gore in this story. maybe it’s better to insert it with a proportional measure? because as far as I can remember there were two WIPs entitled; broken lense and crimson oath, which were canceled due to the violence scene which the staff felt violated the rules.

that’s all from me, good luck, hope this project goes smoothly.

12 Likes

RESPECT :cold_face: :smiling_imp: :skull: :hot_face:

3 Likes

I’ll be watching this work development with great interest! Berserk is a fucking amazing series and I’ll dedicate my time to any IF that finds inspiration in that work of art

20 Likes

When i saw that you where inspired in Beserk i knew i had to try it

17 Likes

Interesting premise, liked prologue a lot. Can’t wait for more!

3 Likes

Pretty good so far only 1 problem… it still only got prologue :sob:

8 Likes

Hi again, people! Thank you for noticing my work and giving overwhelmingly positive comments! It was very nerve-wracking for me in the first minutes after the release, considering that it was my first ever try at writing something. But I’m glad that everything turned out great and that there are some of you interested in this project of mine!

Yes, Soulsborne games are one of the inspirations for this - Sekiro in particular.

The mobility and the overall feeling of combat gave me goosebumps. In other Soulsborne games, you’re fighting against an unstoppable force, and it’s evident because you have to constantly dodge the attacks, inserting a few of your own in between the animations.

In Sekiro, you have an option to parry, which changes everything. The fact that, with enough skill, you can make the battles with bosses somewhat equal (deflect their attack, then counter-attack, parry another one, jump on their head, land on the ground, and do a mikiri counter right afterward) is what hooked me. Oh yeah, and when you parry their strongest thrust, which makes you lurch away, breaking your posture, your katana in the ground is just exquisite. Fight with Genichiro and his lighting reversal mechanic is something else - if you can pull it out, you’ll feel like a god.

It’s like Who’s the unstoppable force now?

Wow, thank you, I completely forgot about that! I’ve changed it so it becomes white when in dark mode - now it should be more visible.

Glad you liked it!

Could you please screenshot it or copy-paste these lines here? I have trouble figuring out where it is - I’m pretty sure that there were no occasions when you got referred in any other way than You .

Perhaps, you’re talking about these lines? He’s still there / He missed?

If so, then it refers not to the protagonist but to the other characters.

If I’m wrong, then please, send a screenshot.

There will be combat stats, which I’ll add in the next update. They will impact how the combat scenes will play out and whether you can win in a specific fight. No heavy stat-checking, though - if a combination of some of your stats is enough to pass a stat-check, you’ll succeed. You won’t need to max out one stat to progress. What’s more, some tasks will specifically require you to have a certain combination of stats, but there’ll always be another way to achieve results.

About personality stats: I haven’t decided how to implement them yet. What I think is that giving the protagonist personality bars hinders the roleplay. Your character will always have to act in one way or another to have visible tendencies toward being sarcastic, for example. It kinda dumbs down the character into a one-dimensional being. People act differently around different people.

How I did it in the first part of the prologue is that I stored the reply you’ve chosen into the variable and altered the next lines the protagonist says based on this variable, then did it with the next choice. Because of that, there are different variations of how your character can say something or think about other people.

I’ll probably have to make a poll to decide what to do.

Thank you for your kind words!

I plan on moving this thread to the adult category once there will be content labeled as such. That way more people can see this project and it’ll be easier for them to find it if I’ll create another thread in the adult category. I did some research, and it seems that right now my game does not contain explicit adult content that’s mentioned in the Adult Readers group. If I’m wrong, please correct me.

Yes, I won’t make violence happen every ten pages or so. There’ll be parts of the story with violence in it, which will be followed by more quiet and peaceful parts.

Another thank you for looking out for me, by the way!

It’s great for me to hear that you’re interested!

I love what grim-dark world Kentarou Miura created and how he portrays the journey of the hardened, broken man filled with paranoia because of all his past and struggles. All of Miura’s characters are truly multidimensional and memorable, with the author delving deep into the human psyche, giving his readers thoughts and matters to wonder about - there’s no way I can’t get inspired by this masterpiece! And don’t let me get started on the action scenes - the brutality is breathtaking if you can say that.

May Kentarou Miura rest in peace.

I’m happy to see that the story is to your liking, guys! I’ll get to work on the update right away!

24 Likes

That actually sounds really unique. Its good to know stats will play a role in the outcome of some things. The prologue was great (though it got a bit confusing when we switched to another pov) and the dialogue felt consistent with my choices. Personally im most looking forward to the fight scenes but Overall i really liked the demo and cant wait for the update.

5 Likes

I believe you’re correct that the narration only ever refers to the MC as “you”, but Zeom is referring to occasions where the other characters refer to the MC in the third person, through dialogue.

These are the two occasions I spotted in my playthrough:

Summary
"Idiot!" @{knowname Burchard|the old man} exclaims. "Kill hi-"

Burchard gets cut off here, but it’s clear he was about to say “him”.

And then in the version of the scene where you don’t kill Philip (under the grappled1 label, where he grabs you from behind):

"Hold him tightly!" he exclaims.
4 Likes

Thank you, this completely escaped my attention. It should be fixed now!

Yes, that was an oversight on my part. Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume!

8 Likes

Been interested with dark fantasy lately (Fear and Hunger and Fear and Hunger 2: Termina are two of my favorite), so this a welcomed surprise.

11 Likes

Yeah I have come to dislike that, a lot.

I don’t want to be rude OR polite to everyone just because I’ll fail some personality stat checks or whatever.

So I liked how you did it in the demo, it feels much more natural.

9 Likes

Sounds interesting

1 Like