The Bastard of Camelot Announcement on post 3193

@Talyrion Thank you! Mordred certainly is biased at this age, but they’ll be able to change their opinions later. The experience at Camelot can really play a big role in how Mordred turns out. It’ll be balanced by people who want to see past Mordred’s reputation.

Lmao
I only know the song Oh no by Marina, but I’ll check the others too!

@UnoriginalUserName I said I’d tone down the violence lol. You can’t cause Morgana intervenes before Mordred can react.

@AmerHST Morgana doesn’t really feel Guinevere wrong her, but at the same time, doesn’t really like her.
Also, you what you said about the magic is right. That’s exactly what the stats mean.

10 Likes

can we still make our dragon eat him?

So rare to see that as an option. Got dragon? Breath fire. Plz, if I want a flamethrower, I go make one. :smile:

12 Likes

I feel like Morgana is so NOT gonna be happy about my Mordred. He’s already so curious about Arthur and Camelot and wants to meet him and is generally so gentle.

9 Likes

So, this was fun to read. I like Arthurian stories in general, and especially any that features Mordred. I love how you didn’t paint Morgana to be completely bad and most of her interactions with Mordred was pretty chill too. Looking forward to see more of this :grin:

Good luck! :+1:

8 Likes

It becomes clear in the game, but only after the MC is asked about it. And those questions affect your attributes rather oddly, in that they can go down from the questions, but not up. And lowering your affinity with something isn’t made up for by raising anything else, so I can’t imagine a player choosing that option. And since it becomes a worthless choice, it would be better to just make the information available from the beginning via stats page.

6 Likes

@E_RedMark You can get revenge on Arthur.

@Konoi She’s not gonna like that… But what if by getting to know Arthur, you can convince her he is good?

@moonfungus Thank you! I don’t want to excuse her actions, but I also want her to show her good traits.

@kckolbe I’ll add an explanation in the stat page.

I said I’d explain the lore. The world is a fantasy one, taking inspiration from Europe.
Avalon is an island country, with only one town. The kingdom Arthur rules has no name yet, and neither does the neighboring one. Camelot is the city where Arthur rules and is based off Austria. The place is inspired by an actual place with mountains and a lake that I liked. We were on the road and stopped there from Ischgl.
Avalon is inspired by Italy, and Morgana’s house by a Roman house.
Tintal is inspired by the fortress in Cote d’Azur, France, the temple by the Villa Kerylos. Lothia is inspired by Romania and the castle by Castle Bran.
Astolat is inspired by the Loire Valley.
Cornwallis is inspired by Netherlands.
The neighboring kingdom is inspired by Italy.

21 Likes

that can only work, if those who wronged her made amend. I hope there is a route for that, and not just ‘‘Trust me, Arthur is a nice guy! dont eat him alive’’ .

8 Likes

First, I’m sorry for my bad English lol

Anyways, I just love this Mordred character, it’s simply immersive because of how it makes you feel exactly in his/her shoes plus I actually can imagine the environment and setting. Also from a child’s point of view, you capture it well; their innocence and curiosity and even the tantrums. And the drama, it makes you confused which part/side is right or wrong.

All in all, it’s beautiful

4 Likes

I know in some versions of the stories, Morgana’s resentment toward Arthur eventually dwindles enough that she gives up her former ambitions for the throne. Even helped Arthur on two particular occasions in that particular scenario (making Arthur aware of the affair going on with Guen and Lance and even being the one to ultimately take Arthur to Avalon when he gets severely injured).

Hard to say if that can happen in this story, but it will be interesting see if it’s even possible for Mordred to help their mother deal with her own darkness.

Self-fulfilling prophecy: many characters make the mistake of having the prophecy take form due to either trying to prevent it with some type of force or not doing anything at all due to thinking that the prophecy is absolute. Never mind the fact that a prophecy is at times worded vaguely for a reason.

Like I mentioned, reminds me of that version of the Fenrir tale; as a pup, he had no ill will toward the gods and went along with the chain test to prove his strength, not realizing that that it was less that the Norse gods treating it as a game (as they told him as a pup) and more that they were trying to find a way to bind him. But as he got older, Fenrir got more suspicious due to starting to notice how the gods reacted whenever he did break the chain and got even more leery when the latest chain they brought to him seemed to look the weakest in appearance (yet ended up being the one that would bind him in Ragnarok). He refused this chain at first due to wariness but after being goaded by the gods (and given false promises that they would take it off if he could not break it), he made a deal: he would put the chain on only if ones of the gods out their hand in his mouth and made it clear that if they break their promise to let him free if he could not handle that chain, he’d take that hand in retribution.

Tyr, the only Norse god who played with Fenrir with no ulterior motives and fed him, ended up being the one who offered his hand (even while knowing what the others intended) and when the gods ultimately did betray the large wolf, Tyr didn’t remotely struggle to get his hand away and verbally told Fenrir to do his end of the bargain when the two locked eyes with each other. Tyr was the only God who did not laugh in triumph with the others as the wolf cursed the gods for their betrayal and vowed vengeance for the mistreatment. When the story got to the part of Ragnarok, definitely didn’t feel so bad for Odin (who had been very much present during the ‘chain games’ with Fenrir) when the encounter with the giant wolf happened and felt like (in that version’s case) what happened was due to self-fulfilling prophecy on the Norse gods end.

There’s a lot of things about that decision he can regret. It’s what type of regret and how he shows it that makes me a little wary of him. Especially since he does clearly trust Merlin and who knows what that man has been saying in regards to the prophecy.

I’m particularly leery toward Merlin the most out of all the characters so far myself. Feel like he’s going to be the one that has the strongest mentality of ‘BUT THE PROPHECY NEVER LIES’ and will be one of the ones that give Mordred a particularly hard time due to it (maybe even right to the bitter end). Would not put it past him and some others making efforts to constantly do things in a attempt to reveal what they believe is Mordred’s ‘true’ nature (despite a possibly kind disposition showing them other wise). Feel like even a Mordred who leans on good traits will have their patience worn thin by the guy.

Is it Ok to ask where the potential ROs fall in the line of judging Mordred by their prophecy vs. judging Mordred by their personality? Galahad is pretty self explanatory (being the son of Arthur’s best friend, probably heard the most about the prophecy the longest and his father likely painted a pretty vivid picture of what Mordred would apparently become due the prophecy).

And what is Lance’s relationship with Galahad like?

Sounds a little like my Mordred, except he would have been content staying in Avalon a little longer before heading out for adventure and really just wants to live in peace to do his own thing (and taking over an already claimed throne by someone who is NOT a tyrant isn’t likely in his solid plans at the moment).

That said, my Mordred as a child has also not made too good a first impression to the world outside so far, what with letting his upset emotions get the best of him and accidentally burning that bully (not that the kid didn’t deserve some consequence for his actions). But there’s also been things that he could not really control, like stating that observation that Lot has no interest in being his father regardless and getting smacked by that Nanny, who clearly resents Mordred solely for the connection to Morgana (I’m currently staring at my watch and wondering how long she’s gonna be sticking around, seeing as she’s got no fear about pissing Morgana off).

That’s a tricky situation and probably an even trickier outcome to aim for. Arthur is right that he is not Uther and should not be really blamed for that man’s actions (having possibly went through his own hardship because of his father too). But between him and Morgana, Arthur did seem to sort of benefit the most (to a extent) from Uther’s actions. Maybe getting Morgan’s resentment to soften and having Arthur acknowledge that unpleasant piece of information will make it possible for the two to talk things out and move forward? :thinking:

Don’t know how this will play out, but it likely may not happen in book 1, I’m guessing. :sweat_smile: Not an impossible sounding goal, but sort of hard to some degree (both parents seem a little stubborn).

8 Likes

If that is possible, I’ll surely play that way. But things like that are not always. I’m usually optimistic when I approach a game, but I also try to reign in the optimism a little just in case :sweat_smile:
Also, one of my theories about the prophecy related to Morded makes me a little nervous. If Mordred really goes against Arthur, he may do so out of sheer allegiance to Morgana and her ideas, in which case the prophecy would be true. He may also do so because he was treated so badly because of the prophecy itself, in which case the prophecy would become self-fulfilling. But aside from that, I’ve got the nagging feeling that if Mordred were to be like he is in my playthrough, nice and gentle and with no ill intention towards his father, Morgana may become so pissed because Arthur and Merlin would have supposedly swayed Mordred their way, she could become the direct “weapon” of the prophecy, but it would arguably still be caused by Mordred, since she would have done so because of his betrayal. Though obviously, if Mordred manages to appease her, her detractors may still arrange some kind of action against the king and make it look like Mordred and Morgana were the culprits
Am I overthinking? Prophecies make me paranoid!

Mine was over-excited about discovering the world and really eager to leave Avalon. But I don’t picture him as someone who would really want Arthur’s throne - the game hints he does, but it’s more because of Morgana’s wish and the way she educated him - at least I see it that way. More like he thinks the throne will be his because he didn’t question it, rather than because he truly wants it. If the game offers that possibility when he’ll grow up, I’ll chose for him to not actually want to steal the throne.
Now, if Arthur actually ends up recognizing him and stuff like that, I also don’t see him actually refusing the throne. Except maybe in case of romance issues, since I always play gay characters and I don’t plan on changing that, which may stem issues related to future heirs.

Still being friendly and optimistic, and forgetting any ressentment quickly on my side. Because sweet child.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Merlin was at the origin of the prophecy, out of sheer antagonism or paranoia towards Morgana.

8 Likes

They make the people that have a part in the prophecy paranoid too. That’s what often makes them take action that end up turning the prophecy into a self-fulfilling one. :laughing:

Granted, all we know that Merlin said is that Mordred ‘will be the undoing of Camelot’, which sounds ominous on paper. But being something’s undoing may not necessarily have to mean in a bad way. But people in the story (particularly the ones aware of the prophecy, and who knows how many those that know may be) are clearly already jumping to the conclusion it means in a bad way and are being cruel to Mordred for it, not realizing their own actions can play into a reason that the prophecy take a bad route.

It’s like repeatedly kicking a sleeping dragon because you think it’s going to burn something, even though it has not done so in the past: eventually its likely going to wake up and burn the person harassing it to a crisp and possibly consider burning bigger stuff because of the treatment.

To be fair, some children don’t often question their parents too much during their earlier years. Though it does seem clear that the current desires can change as Mordred gets older and starts developing their own views.

Feel like my own Mordred will drop that idea of claiming the throne pretty quick since it’s not something that interests him too much to begin with.

My Mordred will be capable of forgiving, but he’s not just going to up and forget how certain people have treated him either. Might make him a little jaded, but it’s less about being resentful toward those people and more about ‘acknowledge your own wrongdoings; don’t try to pretend they didn’t happen. Own up to it and be responsible’. Do see him being (hopefully) developing a deep bond with his brother though (Mordred acknowledged that his brother was just repeating the words of the adults around them).

Again though, I am looking at the time on my watch and taking a guess of how long that nanny is sticking around. There’s being fearless and being reckless and I consider mistreating Morgana’s children and mocking her to her face quite a bit reckless (though the fact Morgana does choose against hurting someone too much and more give them a warning first does say a lot to me).

Definitely see Merlin playing a strong role in some way, though others who clearly share his views on the prophecy are likely going to show active hostility toward Mordred too (wonder if Arthur will let that happen or if he’ll try to prevent the behavior in some way as much as he can). :thinking:

4 Likes

Oh of course, I take that into consideration. My theories were based on the assumption the prophecy meant something bad to begin with - the alternative is a very real possibility too. If Merlin doesn’t have anything to do with the prophecy per se, he might very well just believe the prophecy means something bad while it doesn’t. Prophecies like that probably ended up being fulfilled more often than not - be it because the person was truly bad or because it was self-fulfilling. He has every right to think it’ll be the same this time, IF he isn’t outright bad.

To be honest, the way I see it, and depending how much the game will allow, I think mine will be all about forgiving, and trying to prove he’s not a bad person. For now, I’ve chosen every single choice that made him interested in knighthood; being excited to become a squire and training with Accolon, selecting the knight figurine in the nursery, being eager to meet Arthur. I really strongly envision him as being very eager to be a knight, and dreaming of being one of the Round Table. So he’ll probably be fiercely loyal to that cause later. I guess the mistreatements would rather lead to a “I have to prove them I’m not like that.” mentality, rather than “They must acknowledge their wrongdoings.” - in the end, the result should be similar, but the process that would lead to that goal would be fueled by different feelings.

@Rebelgirl
Some typos I’ve missed the first time, or related to the ones that have been corrected.

Yet again, Morgana's name (and also the queen):

It still says “Morgan” on the relationships page.
And by the way, there’s also a typo for the queen - Queen_Guinevere. That _. I also you called her Guenevere in the story iself.
Though when Junia talks about her, in one instance she says “So, I think you said you wanted to learn more about Guinevere?” / “Guinevere has been called the Queen of May.”. Looks like it switches from one to another.

When Morgana talks with Arthur:

“If I give up my child now, do I have the garantuee I won’t find that the ship or carriage has had a incident?”
Should be “guarantee”. And “has had an incident.” Or wouldn’t be “an accident” more accurate, even?

After Junia's lesson:

“countered by Morgana glaring dagger whenever the priestess speaks up in your presence”
I believe it should be “glaring daggers”?

3 Likes

Great demo!

4 Likes

I’m a simple person. I see anything Camelot-related, I click the like.

9 Likes

very interesting so far.looking foward to more in the future

3 Likes

Wow! I did not expect to like this so much! I’m a huge sucker for Arturian adaptations and this hit every mark for me. It’d be nice to have the ability to change the name, though. You could phrase it as something like this: The legends tells of a child named Mordred, but legends often get things wrong. My name is…

4 Likes

Wow, I definitely enjoyed the demo and can’t wait to play some more of it when I can!! :smile: can’t wait to see where this will go.
I also enjoy building a character throughout their years as well!

3 Likes

Really interesting idea, I’m very excited about this one! Great writer and a phenomenal concept! I look forward to following this as it progresses! Thank you for your hard work!

3 Likes

I very much like this demo and look forward to the story! I can’t wait to meet all the characters!

Is there a possibility that you can put up warnings? Like, with the incest and mentions of rape? I am not knowledgeable about the Arthurian tales so these were surprises to me and it may make people uncomfortable or trigger them. Just so they know that these are present so they can prepare themselves.

10 Likes

That was an amazing demo, can’t wait to read more!

4 Likes