For as far back as your memory can stretch, you’ve been running the streets of Lower Cusmo, the underbelly of Hashind’s jewel of a capital city. In these dark corridors you have grown from a lowly locust, just another street child, into a full fledged thief belonging to a well established guild.
But things are shifting in the city. Guilds are going quiet and reemerging under new leadership, nobles are becoming more flagrant in their corruption under the eyes of a young king, and merchants tell harrowing stories of the unnatural beasts in the service of a ravenous empire.
You, now caught amidst the machinations of the city’s most influential and supernatural, must decide how you will act. The city, your honor, and your very life are all up for grabs.
Honor Amongst Thieves is a text-based fantasy interactive fiction game, full of political intrigue, romance, and of course thievery!
Synopsis
You play as a thief pressed into the employ of a mysterious nobleman. With the your life, the fate of your guild, and your honor on the line, you’ll have to navigate the perils of the royal court and combat a more mystical threat. The story is set in Cusmo, the naturally fortified, desert capital of Hashind, and will showcase the much praised Upper Cusmo, the crime ridden Lower Cusmo, and much more.
Features
- Protagonist customization allows for appearance, personality, and chosen skillset to all have an impact on the story. (You can even choose an area of thievery to be your specialty)
- Relationships, both platonic and romantic, have a large impact on the game. There are currently eight potential love interests to choose from, as well as a host of character to befriend or offend.
- Supernatural creatures that like to make deals.
- Court schemes and political intrigue.
- Feasts and other royal functions. (Be mindful of assassins, unless of course you are the assassin.)
- The opportunity to literally rob someone blind.
- Heists, pickpocketing, poisoning, assassinations and more!
Love Interests
Merikh
“You will live. You will live to see what you have raised. You will see the seed you have sown in full bloom. And you will fear.”–Merikh Labaton
The illegitimate son of the Noble Labaton family that presides over the Ibis Provence, he was sent off for military service. His meritorious service has granted him a newly created title and position in the royal court, though how much can be achieved with it is yet to be seen. With his new authority, newly acknowledged nobility, and ravenous ambition, he has strong armed multiple guilds and gangs into his employ.
Physical Description : In his early thirties, Merikh is tall, with lightly tanned skin, and pale blue, hooded eyes. His sandy brown hair is kept cut below the nape of his neck and has a slight wave to it. He is tight jawed with a heavy, usually furrowed brow, and a prominent aquiline nose. This along with a muscular and broad build, causes him to be a rather imposing presence. He’s slow to smile, but when he does he has startlingly white teeth and deep dimples. He dresses neatly and impeccably. His attire is practical, but always well made and expensive.
Laverna
"Do you ever worry that if someone truly knew you, that all of the love they thought they had for you would wither away to dust?” –Laverna Thandetes
Her beauty is like that of a droplet of dew desperately clinging onto a rose. Her hobbies are exactly what one would expect the most powerful courtier’s daughter to excel at. She reads, she dances, she is refined and held together, just as her father expects. Fabulously wealthy and of impeccable lineage, she is considered by many in court to be the prospective bride of the new king. Her father has great plans for her, but does she have any of her own?
Physical Description : In her early twenties, Laverna is petite with a soft build and large deep brown eyes that are framed with dark lashes. She has skin as dark as the night with a soft and open face, with high cheekbones, rounded cheeks, and full lips. She constrains her thick and coarsely curled hair in various complex braided styles, rarely leaving her hair unbound. She dresses as someone of her station should, dripping in opulence. Gold complements her better than silver so she wears it often.
Aretas
"I am not a young child that they can lead and sway as they please anymore. I am their king. Those that do not wish to be led by me will find themselves destroyed by me.” –Aretas Kauket
As a young king ruling over a young empire, he is profoundly overwhelmed. Despite having the intelligence and bearing to lead, he is still a novice at governing on this scale. Tasked with navigating hostile foreign relations and newly added territories to the kingdom, he has allowed the court to operate with relative impunity and his reliance on certain courtiers has led to an increase in corruption. He is a man of strategy and ambition, but sometimes his dreams of the future obscure his view of the present.
Physical Description : In his early twenties, Aretas is tall, with warm reddish brown skin, and brown heavy lidded but bright eyes. With a muscular but lean build and perfect posture, he stands always ready to take control of any situation. Shiny coiled hair frames his head like a halo, and he often has to twist it and tie it back to accommodate his crown. A smattering of dark freckles adorn his prominent nose and despite his strong jaw, his rounded cheeks betray his youth. He wears the royal attire and jewels for formal events, but privately prefers to dress very casually.
Sarai
"No I was not the Great King’s first wife, nor was I his last. And yet here I stand, the only one left among them. As the only queen. "–Sarai Kauket
The queen dowager, the last remaining wife of the deceased King, has groomed her son for the throne. She is devoted to helping him succeed, but critiques from nobility and officials have whittled down her public influence and have forced her to retreat from openly advising her son or exhibiting political power. An expert in court etiquette, as well as court machinations, it would be unwise to believe that she no longer wields any influence.
Physical Description : In her late thirties, she is average height but her noble bearing makes people feel as if she towers over them. Thick dark brows frame her sharp, light brown eyes and her small but full lips are often pressed into a thin line as she thinks. Her hair hangs heavily down her back, like an inky black curtain. She doesn’t wear the traditional attire expected of her station, instead she wears the royal fabrics in the style of her homeland. Draped in heavy fabrics and adorned in heavy glittering jewelry, she glides through the halls or the palace, like an elegant specter.
Desma
“I know all I need to know. I know that it’s hard to stay fed. And I know I’ll do whatever it takes not to starve.”–Desma
A fellow thief in your guild, Desma is someone you could always count on the never rob you of your cut. Sticking to the shadows with an air of both mischief and ill intent, she is a dangerous thief, and an even more dangerous assassin. Bonded by the streets, and your guild, it would take a great deal for her to turn on you.
Physical Description : In her early twenties, Desma is a fellow thief in your guild. She has a strong straight nose with a wide bridge a wide mouth and grey eyes. She has grown surprisingly tall and wiry, with long limbs composed of lean muscle. Her movements are quiet and her clothing is dark, but her voice and personality is loud and bright. Her dark brown hair has a slight wave to it, with a few curls hiding there as well, but because she often just ties it up haphazardly, she ends up with knots in it. Her dark brows a thick and heavily arched as if they are always prepared to make an offbeat analysis of any situation.
Sutek
“I am trying to walk my path, and yet fate has decided to put you in the middle of it. It matters not. I will go through you.”–Sutek
A hardened thief and fighter, he has shot up the ranks in a rival guild. Both familiar and a stranger, he has made it clear that he has designs on your life. His tattoos appear to be similar to the desert nomads long forbidden from traveling through Cusmo, but no one is sure what they mean or where he got them. One thing is certain however, they mark him as dangerous and one to watch.
Physical Description : In his late twenties, Sutek is a hardened thief and fighter, and there is a sharpness in the shape of his eyes, jaw, and even silhouette. His soft dark hair is cut closely to his scalp and his muscles seem to be constantly tensed under his amber skin, like he is always ready to strike. Scars and tattoos cover his body, the most notable of his scars is one that goes across his throat. His tattoos appear to be similar to the desert nomads long forbidden from traveling through Cusmo, but no one is sure what they mean or where he got them. The words wind down his arms, across his back, and even down the side of his legs, making his whole body a canvas.
Nari
“You would be a fool to face me. Whether it is on the battlefield, whether I am in a dress, or even in another life. Every time I will out match you.”–Nari Yun
Her family’s military contributions can be seen almost all the way to the Hashind’s formation, and on her family tree, generals can be found on every branch. After seeing that her brother was more suited to be a scholar, her father chose her amongst her siblings to be the one to uphold the family legacy. Now with a younger and more open minded king on the throne, perhaps she will finally have a chance to prove herself.
Physical Description : In her mid-twenties s he is short and stocky, with slightly broad shoulders and strong limbs. Her skin is lightly tanned with a golden undertone and the lids to her large dark brown eyes are without a crease. With a square jaw, high cheek bones and a full upper lip, her face is mostly unmarred except for a thin, pale scar under her eye. She wears her hair pulled back into a braided bun to keep it out of the way and is either in loose, comfortable attire or armor and training clothes. On formal occasions when she has to dress for her station she usually wears muted and natural colors, not wanting to draw too much attention.
Heka
“The temple is full of monks, but very few men of faith. They attempt to quote the tomes, and choke on their jewels.”–Heka
The young monk and chosen seer of this generation lived a life of asceticism before taking his position at the High Temple of Hashind. His visions are not of a predestined future but of many branches and ripples that may come to be. He may not be able to see all, or even the danger that is to come, but he cannot turn a blind eye to the corruption of those who claim to represent the faith.
Physical Description : In his early twenties, Heka has copper toned skin, sharp, dark, upturned eyes that seem as though they are both looking at you intently, but also past you, and wavy black hair that stops just above his ankles that he wears in a thick braid. He is on the shorter side, very slim and lithe, however the definition in his arms and legs is that of someone who has done a lot of work and a lot of walking. His style of dress is distinct, but there is no trace of vanity. Everything has either spiritual significance or ritual significance, from the gold bands wrapped around his ankles, to the simple tunic he wears.
Feel free to leave feedback here and on my Tumblr! I hope y’all like it.
This is one of a few wips I have planned. This one is a standalone, but is definitely connected to the others I have planned for the future. You won’t meet all potential love interests in this first snippet, but they will be in an update coming soon!
)
