Set in a time when Arabia was dominated by jinn and gods, you play as the crown heir of a (mostly) unified kingdom.
The story begins with you imprisoned under the orders of an evil vizier. The vizier knows that you posses a kind of magic that will forever threaten his rule. Therefore you have no prospect of ever being set free.
But by chance, you encounter a snake that promises to give you the keys to your freedom. His only request is that you help him find a special heirloom that he has lost - a measly brass oil lamp. For a chance for freedom, surely that’s a fair trade?
Jinn of Arabia is a historical fantasy inspired by the One Thousand and One Nights and other mythological tales set in the Middle East. Plunge in an adventure where the caravans, spices and spears are plenty.
Will your tale be forgotten in the pages of history? Or will your legend be so memorable that even Scheherazade will speak of it?
- Play as a male or female.
- Choose between four kinds of jinn: ifrit, marid, jann & hinn. And unlock their respective elemental powers.
- Navigate court carefully, making sure to build a strong web of alliances. Or use dread and dare any naysayer to lift a finger against you.
- Be close to your half-siblings or lock them up in gilded cages deep in the walls of the royal harem.
- Own a bird that can carry a grown elephant in its claws as pet! Or stick to a cat.
- Flatter the gods to gain their favour. Or stand your ground and refuse to be their mortal plaything.
So far this is the prologue and part one of chapter 1. It’s about 40k words in total. It’s still rough and will be edited later as I get more confortable with variables.
Link to demo: https://dashingdon.com/go/12208
I’d love to hear your feedback. Anything about the spelling, grammar, and just the general flow of the story is welcome.
And also I’d like to know what you would like to see as the story progresses. I’m not promises that I’ll put everything that is requested but I’ll certainly consider a suggestion that is reasonable and would add value to the story.
*The spelling used in the story is British English.
RO
This is a list of confirmed ROs in the game. So far I’ve focused on love interests who your MC will meet early on in the game. Love interests from other kingdoms like Assyria, Babylon and one of the Aramean states have yet to be included.
In the game, marriage is about political gain. So your MC is suppose to marry for an alliance and not because they simply love the other person. While most love interests can be romanced by both male and female MCs, a marriage will only be recognised between heterosexual couples. But gay couples can have a private ceremony to affirm their relationship.
But your MC can choose not to marry and be single. They can choose to monogamous to one person. Or they can decide to have numerous nameless concubines to bear children for them. It’s really up to you.
Now on to the list
The Companions:
The first group of ROs are your three companions you’ll meet shortly after getting out of prison.
Name: Najim/Najima [M/F]
Race: Ghoul
Magic Type: Blood Manipulation, Shapeshifting
Description: Your friendly neighbourhood ghoul. N is the one who helps you out after you escape from prison. He/She sees your potential and is willing to go the extra mile for you. N doesn’t mind cracking a few skulls or eggs in order to secure back your throne. But don’t expect them to open up to you in the beginning. N has a past that they’d like to keep hidden.
Political Power: N doesn’t have a family to help you. In fact, N would be reluctant to marry your MC because it would cause a scandal. Even though N is a jinn, they are a wrong type of jinn. Ghouls are not seen in the best of light in the kingdom. Their shapeshifting ability has given them a bad reputation because shapeshifting is mostly used for espionage and assassination jobs.
Name: Leila [F]
Race: Qarin
Magic: Earth Manipulation
Description: Leila comes from a merchant family. But times have been hard for her family as trade routes have been monopolised in the kingdom and only those politically connected to the elites get good trade routes.
Leila is an excellent negotiator and can sell anything to anyone. Like any good merchant she has detractors who accuse her of being a charlatan and swindler who sells fake jewelry at highly inflated prices. But she never let’s criticism get in her way of securing the bag.
Political Power: Leila has contacts around the kingdom. Even though her family isn’t super rich, their wealthy enough and well-connected enough to assist you in reclaiming your throne. They won’t help you out for free but they expect the MC to pay them back.
Name: Zaki [M]
Race: Marid
Magic: Water Manipulation
Description: Zaki is currently a fisherman. He comes from a family of mercenaries. He spent years fighting for others in foreign lands. But he got sick and tired of the bloodshed. After the death of his younger brother, he decided to return to Jinnestan and live a simple life. But his simple life will become complicated when he helps the MC out and gets embroiled in the conflict between the MC and the vizier.
Political Power: Zaki comes from a good family. His family knows how to fight and can help the MC out in a war situation. The tribe Zaki comes from is known for their bravery. That’s why in the kingdom they’re hired to protect caravan routes from bandits.
The Betrothed:
You’ll first meet these two ROs during your twelfth birthday party. Your father wants to solidify your right to the throne. And has decided a good betrothal will put you in a good position.
The player is not forced to marry the person they’re betrothed to. After the incident that occurred in MC’s birthday party, the player is free to choose whoever they feel will secure them the throne.
Name: Raita [F]
Race: [Depends on MC’s Race Choice]
Magic: [Depends on MC’s First Elemental Power]
Description: Raita is your cousin from your father’s side. She’s known to be reserved and mostly keeps to herself. Raita is an excellent gardener and spends her free time tending to the plants in the palace. Surprisingly, your uncle finds Raita to be so non-threatening that she can go in and out of the royal palace without first seeking permission . But even though she’s quiet, she’s aware of her precarious position in court and tries hard to not arouse attention to herself. Raita however makes sure to keep notes on what goes on in the palace.
Political Power: Raita comes from the MC’s family tribe but is from a different clan than the MC. She’s your second cousin to be specific. A marriage with her would solidify your family’s support of you and de-legitimise the vizier.
Name: Qaus [M] (*NB: I’ve yet to change his name currently in demo)
Race: Half-Jinn, Half-Nephilim
Magic: Levitation
Description: Qaus is the second eldest son of the king of Edom. He believes he’s better than his brother and therefore should rule Edom. But his father has other plans. So most of the time his bored and spends reading scrolls from scholars. He longs for adventure and a chance to prove himself to his father.
Political Power: Qaus is a prince. A marriage with him would create an alliance between two kingdoms. Such an alliance would be beneficial for the MC. But it also poses a risk as Edom frequently comes into conflict with Israel and could drag Jinnestan into it if the MC is not careful.
High Risk, High Reward:
So this marriage would be very controversial and has many pitfalls for the MC. But if MC plays their cards right, you can end up on top. So here are two siblings from the second powerful tribe in the kingdom.
Name: Suhail [M]
Race: Hinn
Magic: Wind Manipulation
Description: Suhail is known to be carefree. He loves going out and partying hard. Coming from a very rich and powerful family, he organises a party every week in his house. Most people don’t take him seriously. He’s seen as a goofball, a guy who likes cracking jokes at inappropriate times. And Suhail prefers having people think he’s not a serious threat.
Political Power: Suhail belongs to the second most powerful tribe in the kingdom. During the war of unification, Suhail’s tribe opposed MC’s father and allied themselves with other tribes who didn’t want Arabia to be united. But at the final battle against your father, Suhail’s tribe switched sides in the middle of fighting. They betrayed their allies and launched a surprise attack from the rear against their former allies.
This would hand a total victory to your father. And MC’s father decided to reward Suhail’s tribe for switching sides. Over time, the tribe became more powerful and richer. They’re pretty much distrusted by most people in the kingdom for their dishonorable act. But a marriage with them will give you a powerful ally. So powerful that they could consume the MC in their web if the player is not careful.
Name: Samar [F]
Race: Hinn
Magic: Wind Manipulation
Description: Unlike her brother, Suhail, who enjoys partying all the time, Samar tries to get people to take her seriously. She spends her free time writing and publishing poems and stories. She organises poetry competitions at her home and provides financial support for young artists in the capital. Samar uses most of her income for charitable ventures like building orphanages and giving aid to poor widows.
She’s trying hard to repair her family reputation the best she can. But she can be vindictive. She’ll use her power and influence to crush anyone who mocks or speaks ill of her family.
Political Power: Again just like her brother, she belongs to a powerful tribe. A tribe that could help MC instead of supporting the vizier.
Content Warning
Language, Violence and Slavery.
I just want to clarify that this wip is mostly fantasy inspired. So the pics I chose (since I’m not much of a descriptive writer) give the general feel about the world.
Link: https://pin.it/3FZTdCG
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Changelog
Demo update 05-Jan-23
Rating: 16+
Good night now.
. I admit I’m a slow writer, I didn’t want anyone to get excited about a project that would take forever to get out.
