SHATTERED EAGLE: FALL OF AN EMPIRE
You are an advisor in a declining empire, beset by unrest, barbarians, and forces beyond your comprehension. Can you save the empire from doom?
- Explore a fictional world inspired by the late Roman Empire.
- Be male or female, cisgender or transgender, straight, gay, bisexual or asexual.
- Serve the imperial family dutifully, or secure your own rise to power.
- Choose from up to five careers, from a veteran of the legion to a shadowy spymaster.
- Learn the secrets of sorcery or untangle the ancient mysteries behind the Empire.
- Navigate the viper’s nest of imperial politics to find allies or paramours, including the empress herself, a cunning senator, a ruthless crime boss, a barbarian general, or a foreign prince.
Setting Synopsis
Through five centuries of conquest, the Iudian Empire has come rule the Inner Sea, becoming the most powerful realm in the known world.
From the western hills of Ezperia, the northern forests of Hevernica, the sophisticated cities of Attika, the eastern deserts of Midyan, and the southern rivers of Seyet. All fell before what the world calls the Iudian Sorceresses, the women who wield fire itself against their enemies. For it is indeed women who rule in Iudia, ordained by the mother goddess Gaia herself.
Yet, the Empire is not without troubles, and her glory days seem past her. Crippling civil wars, endemic corruption and ceaseless invasion have all contributed to the woes of the once great Empire.
Threats old and new rear their heads in times like these. A resurgent Pharia, the Empire’s old eastern rival, threatens to seize the eastern provinces. Civil unrest has escalated in the capital of Kyro itself, the flames fanned by an increasingly bold criminal underground.
The greatest danger may come from the north, however. Beyond the cold barbarian lands comes a enemy you have only heard rumor of, the Witch King of the Ongi. It is said the warrior rides at the head of a massive host, wielding great magic that has united all the tribes of the far steppe together out of fear of his power. He has called a great holy war against the Empire, claiming it as a nation of demons to be cleansed from the earth.
Will you hold the Empire steady in her time of crisis, claw your way to power, or seek to solve ancient mysteries? The fate of Iudia is in your hands, Prefect.
Content Warnings
These themes and depictions are present in the current demo, or are planned to be present in the final product.
Depictions of violence & warfare (including gore & torture), sexual themes, drug & alcohol use, physical & emotional abuse, sexism, slavery, homophobia, & transphobia.
Gender Explanation
Gender plays a significant role in this game, not just the MC’s gender, but in society overall. First and foremost, the Imperial society is matriarchal, derived from their Church of Gaia. However, it is less matriarchal than real late antiquity societies were patriarchal, so there is room for men to advance in politics. Still, one of the career options is disallowed for male MCs.
There is unfortunately no option for non-binary MC, you are a high ranking public official in a society with narrowly construed gender roles enforced by religious dogma. You can play a transgender female MC, though it’s a different gender role than what we would consider transgender. There is no option for a transgender male MC, though I did consider it. It proved too complex to implement, however, and I scrapped it.
Historical Accuracy
Let me head this off right away. This isn’t accurate. Not at all. Not one whit. It’s a fictional world inspired from the late antique Mediterranean world, and even then I’ve taken liberally from other periods in Roman/Byzantine history and threw in things that are totally different. It’s not intended to be grittily realistic, but to have the verisimilitude of realism. I’m not a historian nor do I know Latin beyond cursory knowledge, though I do enjoy reading about history, hence me creating the game.
Romance
There are five potential romance options that will be present in the completed game, one who you can choose to have a pre-established relationship with (and this affects many permutations, but not always to the MC’s benefit) and four who you can pursue a relationship with throughout the story. You can pursue romances out of affection or a desire to gain access to power (these choices require the MC to be skilled in Subterfuge).
There’s a lot of mention of sex and romance in Shattered Eagle, but it’s not really about sex or romance, rather power, whether it be access to power or the power one holds over others. Such is the twisted game of intrigue.
Major Characters and Romantic Interests
Empress Julia Vitallia Hevernicus (F)
Age: 48
A harsh woman who forced the empire back together with her bare hands, Julia has reigned over the Empire for a decade. She is a strong military leader and a pious woman, who frequently prays to the Goddess for guidance. She can be cruel towards her enemies, but she is a ultimately a pragmatist with a certain sense of fairness, and has invested much of her authority in you so that you might govern the Empire.
Consul Consentia Plinia Doricus (F)
Age: 55
The leader of the now-sidelined Senate, the ancient legislature of grandiose aristocrats which once governed the Empire alone, Consentia is bent on advocating for what she sees as the fundamental rights of the public and restoring the power of the old Republic. She is a passionate orator and the wealthiest woman in the Empire, barring the Empress herself, and has struck a deal with the crime lord Ceto in order to gain the support of the masses for her reforms.
Tribune Ceto Verus (F)
Age: 43
Coming up from the poorest slums of the capital, Ceto is the Empire’s most notorious crime lord, ruling the streets by both spreading out her ill-gotten gains to the people and making examples out of those who refuse to acknowledge her authority. Lately, she has become a staunch advocate for the rights of the people, striking an alliance with the Consul Consentia to push back against ever encroaching imperial power.
Legate Antonius Lethungius/Amalrik Wulfhid (M)
Age: 40
Born to an imperial mother who named him Antonius and a barbarian father who named him Amalrik, the Legate is a man caught between two bitterly opposed worlds. A skilled and charismatic general, he has won the loyalty of barbarian auxiliaries and imperial legionaries alike with his victories on the field of battle, yet his true loyalties remain unknown. Is he a dutiful man of the Empire, or a proud, unbowed barbarian?
Prince Darius of Pharia (M)
Age: 33
Darius, third son of the great King of Kings, serves in the imperial capital as the ambassador and hostage from the eastern kingdom of Pharia, the Empire’s oldest and most powerful rival. Over the past decade and half, however, Darius has become more than a mere captive, having established great wealth and influence in the capital with his charm and wit, and is a major power player in his own right.
Update Log
4/14/2024: Chapter 1
With that out of the way, I have released Chapter 1, which has 50,000 words and an average playthrough of 18,000. I’ve given it a read through, but I’m sure there are errors and the like which I’ve missed, so I’m hoping to get some feedback and constructive criticism. I’m a hobbyist writer and this is my first CS game. Thank you for reading my weird side project, and I hope to provide more later.
Demo Link: https://dashingdon.com/go/16107
