Hello everybody, my name's Matheus, or just Matt for short.
In The Abyssal, you assume the control of a powerful deity that was betrayed by their fellow gods. Imprisoned against your will for all eternity, you had a long time to plan your revenge.
After you regain your freedom, travel across Hylaria and recruit acolytes to help you in your quest for retribution. Influence their future as you learn about their past. Cultivate the kind of relationship you want to have with your followers: make them fear you, or be a kind leader and inspire respect.
Oh, and did I mention you are Death itself?
Features:
You can play as a god, goddess or a deity. Choose your sexuality, appearance, personality, an immortal creature for a pet, and a powerful weapon to wield. Be a merciless monster or a benevolent being. Feared or revered? Your actions decide how mortals and gods perceive you.
This game is heavily focused on relationships so expect a lot of romance. Speaking of which, I have 7 romanceable characters planned as of now, 1 being gender-locked to male and the gender of the other 6 can change based on your choices.
Romance Options (spoilers)
Aza’deh Asayesh “The Desert Jewel”
(Male or Female)
The Mahdi of the Ahara Desert first dwellers, the Emir, and former high priest/priestess of the followers of Tai’jik, the god of deserts and safe passage. Through great sacrifice and worship, they were able to acquire Tai’jik’s blessing, that in turn is used to protect their people from their enemies. Aza’deh puts the safety of their people above all else, even going to great lengths to keep them away from harm, including allying themselves with a being hated and feared by all.
They have a rich dark-skinned complexion, darkened by the unforgiving sun of the desert, and light emerald green eyes that appears to shine under the sunlight. They stand at 6’ tall with a surprisingly muscular physique for someone who is seen doubling over books all day.
Aza’deh’s hair is dark brown with a few peppered caramel strands and slightly wavy. Male Aza’deh likes to keep it short on the sides but longer on top, and brushed back with the longer strands gathered in a tiny ponytail. Female Aza’deh keeps her hair long, reaching beyond her shoulder blades with a golden headpiece styled with gold coins and encrusted with tiny emeralds.
They are sure to attract everyone’s attention.
Wulfric “The Beast”
(Male)
One of the Wildmen, considered by many as a bunch of uncivilized and savage people. Some say they are not even humans but beasts who take the form of monsters when angered. Worshipers of the great goddess of fertility, Vaal, and the deity of love, Amorr, the Wildmen are protected by both, and whatever the truth may be, people tend to stay clear of the rainforests up north. It’s up to Death to learn for themselves if the myths are true or just stories told by crazy old hags.
Wulfric, as a Wildmen, can take the shape of a large black wolf. While in human form, he maintains all the features expected of a human except for longer and sharper than average canines. He is 7’5’’ tall and has honey-colored skin along with a powerful and intimidating physique. He usually keeps his dark-brown, wavy hair set in a single braid that reaches way past his shoulder blades; several tiny fairy skulls and sharp, curved fangs are secured around the tip. His eyes are light brown with specks of honey.
His appearance is certainly intimidating.
Éoin “The Mortician”
(Male or Female)
The faithful follower. Maybe the last human in all Hylaria to worship the Abyssal, in secret, of course. Éoin still follows in their family’s footsteps by taking care of the Yskari Mortuary. With a shy and reclusive personality, they prefer the silent company of the dead over the noisy living. With deft hands and endless devotion, they make the intricate practice of embalming a form of macabre art.
Long weeks tugged away underground have given them an extremely pale complexion; their skin is covered in rusty freckles that get more accentuated the longer they stay in the sun. Their eyes shine like pebbles washed by the ocean waves but may appear darker depending on their mood. They stand at only 5’2’', and while male Éoin displays a crown of fluffy curly bright red hair that barely reaches his ears, female Éoin maintains her fiery locks long and wild.
They will believe in you when no one else will.
Kazael Crane “The Necromonger”
(Male or Female)
Kazael became an orphan early in their life and, through a series of misfortunes, spent most of their childhood wandering the streets of Luanya. After a rather traumatic event, they became aware of their true heritage and that death carries great power. As they delved deeper into this new, somber world, not becoming numb to the deaths happening around them seemed impossible.
Kaz’s most striking feature is certainly their deathly pale skin, not a rarity in a city where the sun never makes an appearance, but even then no mortal skin can be so devoid of life—for this reason they resemble more a walking corpse than a living being. They have slick, bluish-black hair, like iridescent crow feathers, kept fairly short on the sides and very long on top. Their eyes also seem devoid of color, the shade of monochrome memories, silver-blade.
Is their heart truly as lifeless as their appearance?
Sol “The Sun God / Goddess”
(Male or female)
God/Goddess of the sun, light, music and civilization. Sol embodies the life essence itself, being the second deity to acquire physical form after the Great Sacrifice. A calm, wise and passionate divine, but also wrathful towards the evil and cruel. Is up to the MC to decide what kind of relationship they had with Sol in the past; lovers, friends or nemesis, the choice is yours. With glowing sun kissed skin, a muscular powerful towering body, and eyes of liquid gold, they represent the epitome of perfection.
With Sol everything is possible.
Leon/Leona “The Golden Prince/Princess”
(Male or Female)
The beloved prince or princess of Solarys, the greatest city of Hylaria. As their father’s oldest child, they grew up being showered in the most expensive gifts gold could buy, until their brother came along. The tales of their heroics, kindness, and generosity are forever etched into the hearts of the people that they care so much about. But as their father’s health deteriorates with each passing hour, they must adapt, against their will, to the role of King/Queen.
Leon/Leona is the mirror image of their mother, with blond hair that brings memories of golden wheat fields, of many hued stems that dance in the autumn light, and light blue eyes that sparkle with boisterous mirth.
Their bravery and valor are enough to inspire Death themselves.
Amorr “The Deity of Love”
(Gender-fluid)
Amorr is the Furyan deity who embodies love, beauty and carnal pleasure. Their presence alone evokes compassion in the hearts of mortals and gods alike, although that wasn’t enough to spare you of a terrible fate.
As probably the only furyan deity who completely regrets their role in your imprisonment, Amorr will jump at the opportunity of atonement for their past sins. Is up to you to decide their fate.
Amorr is known to change physical appearance on a whim, but they like to remain faithful to certain traits. Their hair is a lovely shade of light pink, usually reaching past their delicate shoulders in soft waves. Out of all the Ten, Amorr is the shortest in height, reaching only 7’3’’ when in their divine form and 5’2’’ when in human form. They have porcelain skin with a healthy pink undertone and lightly freckled cheeks always tinted with a rosy flush. As a divine their eyes reflect their essence, taking the color and glint of a rose-quartz under the sunlight.
Like a beautiful rose, they hide a thorny side.
About the ROs
- This game is heavily (really) focused on romance, because for me that’s the whole reason i’m interested in IF.
- You will not be forced into romance, there will always be a choice that allows you to cultivate friendship or rivalry instead.
- At some point in the story you will be given the choice to choose one, or two, of the ROs, and the romance will be locked from then on. Sol’s an especial case, you will decide what type of relationship you had with him in the past. If you choose romance you will NOT be locked out from other romance pursuits, and if you choose the nemesis rout or just friendship you WILL be able to romance him later in the game.
- I may implement poly routes, but I need to figure it out how to do that first. I’ll probably make a poll on Patreon so you guys can help me choose which character would be best, and other details about their relationship.
The Pantheon
The pantheon of Hylaria is formed by the Ten Major Divines, including the MC, and some minor deities. I’ll give a brief overview on the most important ones. I aim to do more in depth character sheets on all of them for my patreon on a later date.
Amorr “Deity of Love”
Amorr is the Furyan deity who embodies love, beauty and carnal pleasure. They are known to excite passion in the hearts of gods and men, and for being both insatiable and unattainable, but also compassionate and loving. As the essence of love, they’re the patron deity of newlyweds, and they are given special reverence during weddings and honeymoons.
Chamion “God of the Seas”
God of the seas, rivers and travelers, responsible for the safe travel of merchants or their ultimately demise. As the patron god of pirates, Chamion is depicted as been violent, ill-tempered and ruthless, behavior that is reflected on his dominion. His particularly hatred towards the Abyssal might be entirely justified though.
Hulda and Helmos “Gods of War”
The warmonger twins. Hulda rules over the violent and physical untamed aspect of war, embodying the physical aggression necessary in successful battles, and Helmos, rules over the military strategy and generalship, better known for his level-headedness and strategic skill in warfare. They are never seen apart and together are a force to be reckoned with.
Quaboth “God of Fire”
The Abyssal’s younger brother, his loyalty to them is unmatched. The god of volcanoes and smiting, responsible for forging the mightiest weapons in all Hylaria, using the metal only found in his dominion. His explosive and temperamental behavior is consistent to his dominion, but he is also playful and very popular with the kids.
Namur “God of Wisdom”
The blind god, and also the god of knowledge and foresight. He is described as being a patient and austere god, barely showing any emotion even in times of distress. As the patron god of scholars he gives his blessings to those who seek to avoid ignorance.
Vaal “Goddess of Nature”
Mother of nature and the goddess of motherhood and fertility in general. She is often seen as a all-producing and all-nourishing mother, being the matron goddess of all women and those who bear offsprings. Vaal, as her dominion entails, is loving and nurturing but her emotions can be mercurial when she’s disrespected or when those under her protection are threatened.
Nemeya “Goddess of Night”
The Abyssal’s sister and the goddess of secrets and spies. Nemeya, since the creation, is depicted as been an ambitious divine, shrouded in mystery and an enigma even to the king of the gods. Her thoughts are her own, and she cares little for mortal affairs.
Sol “God / Goddess of Life”
The Abyssal’s potential lover, friend or nemesis. Sol is the embodiment of life itself. As the deity of the sun, healing and civilization, Sol assumes the role of King / Queen of the gods. They choose to rule with kindness and equity, striving to preserve the peace among the gods, is fair to say they’re not always successful in this task.
F.A.Q
Frequent asked questions
(please read before asking any questions, thank you)
I - Will there be more than one book? Yes! I plan the series to be at least three books long.
II - If I romance Sol will I be locked from romancing the other ROs? No you will not! You will be able to romance any of the ROs.
III - Will Sol be gender-locked to male? No, Sol can now be male or female!
IV - Romanced Sol had kids? Did they cheat on me? That idea is still being thought out. I plan to give an option, somehow, for the player to choose how did Sol had their kids, and if they are biologically related or not, or even if Sol had any kids at all.
V - Can Death have kids with the ROs or Sol? Yes, to both.
VI - If I choose the friend route with Sol will I be able to romance them? Yes you can. You can choose the friend!crush route at the beginning of the book or you will be able to realize your feelings for them later on.
VII - There’s only 6 ROs? Any chance of you adding more options? There are 7 ROs now, with the addition of Amorr!
VIII - When is the next update coming? I’m working on a very tight schedule, i’m a dentistry student and I have classes every day, all my free time is dedicated to the story, so i’ll be trying to release updates every few months.
Change Log
Demo posted 30/04 (word count: 13k)
Chapter 1 finished 15/05 (word count: 26k)
Chapter 2 first-half 07/10 (word count: 45k)
Play the demo here: DEMO
Patreon with bonus content: patreon.com/holtzmann
The Abyssal Tumblr: theabyssal.tumblr.com
If you want to give Death a coffee: ko-fi.com/holtzmann
Disclaimers:
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Warning: The Abyssal contains detailed descriptions of violence, blood, death (duh), sexual content (on later updates), and offensive language;
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Any critiques and suggestions about the writing, pacing, plot and code will be very well received;
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English is not my first language. I would really appreciate it if you guys could help me find spelling and grammar mistakes so I can fix them!
. I can definitely say and see it’s going to be amazing. Definitely looking forward to the next update 
. And to top it all off IT IS A ROMANCE:heart: (MY FAV GENRE). But all my craziness aside:sweat_smile: I’m very in love with this and it has a lot of potential. So good luck to you and can’t wait for future updates:grin:
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