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.
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.
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
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.
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 (NSFW Demo)
3rd July 2023 - the first update, brings approximately 37k words of new content, raising the overall word count to 53k words.
9th July 2024 - the second update, brings approximately 207k words of new content, raising the overall word count to 260k words.
Current word count (SFW demo):
- Excluding command lines: 16561 words
- Including command lines: 17613 words
Current word count (NSFW demo):
- Including command lines: 271245
- Excluding command lines: 260837
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.
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