The Golden Rose: Book One by Ana Ventura

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Design sem nome

“As the artist mourns his fortune

So the Dynasty falls to crumble,

And the two branches snatch asunder”

You are a recent member of The White Company, a mercenary guild on the far side of the law. Your job consists of hunting artifacts and roaming ruins that the Church has forbidden to mention. One of your expeditions, however, leads you down a path that is much deeper than you ever anticipated.

The Golden Rose: Book One is a thrilling 1.2-million-word interactive fantasy novel by Ana Ventura, where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.
Juggle friendships, new alliances, and flames of romance in this epic adventure that will take you to a Europe where History took a different turn.

• Play as male or female; straight, gay, or bisexual.
• Find romance, friendship, or rivalry with a cast of colorful characters.
• Hunt down the thief that stole your forbidden maps!
• Fight against bandits and city guards while trying to stray away from the all-seeing Eyes of the Church.
• Explore ancient ruins and the cobble-stoned streets of the medieval city of Tarragona. Step into a grand cathedral, a sprawling market, a multicolored harbor, the dark gates of the city, or an aqueduct that no one dares to come close to.
• Bond with a stubborn old horse.
• Choose to ally with a street urchin or the feral captain of the Guard.
• Uncover what is true in a world where denial reigns supreme.
• Start to unravel your own mysterious past.
• Immerse yourself in a world rich with characters, story, and lore.

Do you believe in Destiny?

Game Patch Notes

June 24, 2022

  • Fixed typos and grammatical mistakes.
  • Fixed Alessa’s relationship page bug.
  • Fixed the error where it wasn’t acknowledged the MC already knew of the Ministry Building in the Market and the Cathedral paths.
  • Fixed Juturna’s coin continuity errors.
  • Fixed the MC forgetting Aurelius’ name at the Gates.
  • Fixed the MC not remembering seeing Neia’s initial at the Gates.
  • Fixed Hadrian’s cross being silver in Chapter One.
  • Fixed the siren continuity error.
  • Changed the description of Lance’s coin box at the square.
  • Added Lance’s crossbow.
  • Tweaked the Devil’s guardian dialogue to make it clearer what she means when she calls you “one of us.”
  • Added a small exposition about Latin in Chapter 1.
  • Changed the description of the Devil’s Bridge in Chapter 3.
  • Added the Pirate to the relationship panel.
  • Adjusted Hadrian and Alessa’s relationship descriptors.
  • If the MC has high enough Combat, they’re now able to hurt the Theers’ spy in Chapter 7.
  • Added the option to be grateful to Salina for treating the scar.
  • MC recalls seeing a certain white spotted horse before.
  • If the MC has enough Lore, they recognize the word ‘Tablinum’.
  • Added a different version of Lance’s conversation outside the Inn based on a past choice.
  • Chouriça now reacts if you have high enough Corruption.
  • Added the option to keep Aurelius’ cross without wearing it around your neck.
  • Added the option to tell Hadrian he’s your first kiss.
  • Added the option to tell Alessa she’s your first kiss.
  • Put the ‘A Templar’s Heart’ and ‘The Flame Beneath the Ice’ achievements in their proper places.
  • Added ‘A Sight from the Deep’ achievement.
  • Added ‘Fearless’ achievement.
  • Added ‘A New Champion’ achievement.
  • Added ‘A Noble Parade’ achievement.
  • Added ‘The Title before the Name’ achievement.
  • Added ‘Gold Handkerchief’ achievement.
  • Added ‘Green Handkerchief’ achievement.
  • Added ‘A Promise of a Date’ achievement.
  • Added ‘You’d Rather Not’ achievement.
  • Added ‘A Sweet Treat’ achievement.
  • Added ‘It Grew’ achievement.
  • Added ‘Record Keeper’ achievement.
  • Added ‘Human After All’ achievement.
  • Added ‘Head in the Clouds’ achievement.
  • Added ‘A Sparrow Soaring Too High’ achievement.
  • Added ‘A Tight-Lipped Confession’ achievement.
  • Added ‘Through the Haze of Embarrassment’ achievement.
  • Added ‘The Noose Tightens’ achievement.
  • Added ‘Ancient Word’ achievement.
  • Added ‘A Bit of History’ achievement.
  • Added ‘A Tight-knit Group’ achievement.
  • Added ‘No Point in Clustering’ achievement.

July 10, 2022

  • Typo and grammar errors clearing.
  • Adjusted the inn conversation in Chapter 6.
  • Neia now specifies which hand Romanus has a mark on.
Romance Options for the Series
  • Hadrian — Bisexual
  • Alessa — Bisexual
  • Alain — Bisexual
  • Ysabella — Bisexual
  • The Pirate King — Straight
  • Neia — Lesbian
  • Lance — Bisexual
  • Rafael — Bisexual
Achievement Guide

Check the amazing Achievement Guide made by Nell!

FAQ

Hello!

My name is Ana Ventura (aka Anathema) and I’m trying my hand at this crazy ride we like to call Interactive Fiction.

Fan Art

There is too many wonderful fanart to post here! Here is a link to the fanart tag on my Tumblr.

Tumblr:

Patreon | Ko-fi | Twitter

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Thus far, it was such a good read of the story… you had laid a very good foundation :slight_smile:

However, what worry me is that your story seems to be repeating the same "mistake " of Haze under windbroke , that is too many pages of story with too few choices… i need to re-read your story again in order to understand whether my comment was fair, but in my first read, i had a familiar feeling of reading Haze … i personally don’t mind a good read of story , but those who dislike Haze may give similar comment they gave to Haze. However, since it was only until chapter 1, perhaps i spoke too early?

By the way , in chapter 1 we are given choices to turn left or right 3 times , will our choice make any difference ? I meant will we end up in different room based on our choice? If you had design multiple outcomes based on our choice, that was a marvelous job :slight_smile:

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feel like a Tomb raider game :stuck_out_tongue:

Tell your sister , that banner look awesome indeed !

Just a question : is this gender locked ? cose…can’t tell from that beginning .

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I enjoyed the small demo very much, tbh! You have a beautiful way of describing the atmosphere and places the mc finds themself in and everything is very vivid, so that one can easily follow it. I’m very interested in the way the game will turn out in the following time :relaxed:

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That was quite lovely, I love your style of writing and can’t wait to read more.

I don’t think so because my stats say female. Also, there was an option that said Venus versus Mars, I think that’s the way the author chooses male or female.

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Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, it’s an American saying (also a book) so yes you are correct. Kinda neat and weird to have the choice worded that way (at least to me)

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I just finished reading through this demo and I think you payed an excellent base for a great story. This story had a lot of potential, keep up the good work.

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Is the game gender locked?If so,that might be something you need to tell people upfront.

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Nope. The gender choice was in the “venus or mars” choice. You were only temporarily playing as the man in the beginning.

Edit: Thats weird, I thought the saying “men are from mars and women are from venus” was common. I’m not from the us so im not sure.

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Low fantasy with some noir? You have my interest.

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Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

And yes, I agree with you. I re-read through chapter one and I think there’s too much going on. I’ll probably cut some parts and make it more to the point. When I was writing it I was still world-building in my head so I kept a lot of random ideas that probably should have been cut.

And no, the turn left or right choices are there to give the reader the feeling of hopelessness and how big the tombs are. I can make different outcomes tho. So it’s certainly something to consider…

Like others have said, it’s not gender-locked. The prologue is written from the perspective of a man but your character can either be a man or a woman. In the next chapter, there will be a character customization scene.

Is the gender-choice too confusing? It seems a lot of people did not get it.

(Also, my sister says thanks!)

They say to write about what you love, right? :wink: Noir detective stories are awesome but I also adore fantasy so why not blend them together.

@bruisedsoldier @TheBum @Aiden7203
Thank you for your words. I really appreciate it. :grinning: It gives me a boost to keep writing.

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I was thinking to simplify your story would be sad… why don’t you keep them but add some fake choice or add choice of character customization between those pages ? It allows reader something else to play while reading your story :slight_smile:

Oh… noir, do you mean something like John Wick ? :slight_smile:

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It’s not so much simplifying as it is trying to make the chapter a bit neater. Nothing is set on stone tho. Right now I want to finish writing the rest of the demo, then I’ll do the re-write.

Hmm John Wick? I actually haven’t seen the films yet (it’s a series, right?).

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Hahaha… no no it was a movie, currently they already had 2 movies, the third is in the making , it was an attempt to make the assassin world looks cool , an assassin who kills other assassins , they said such theme is a noir … the same go with Blade runner 1 and 2 (which was the theme of a genetic enhance super human becoming a hunter to hunt other super human) :slight_smile:

Yes, you are correct … you can finish the demo with your idea and see how it can be re-integrate into a final product :slight_smile:

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Update

Chapter One is done! Oof, that took longer than I expected, but uni has a unique way of eating away my time. The link to the updated demo is in the first post - if you care to go through it, I would love to hear your thoughts. :grinning:

Current word count: 33k (but my code isn’t the most effective one as I’m still learning. I’m sure I could take away like 5k words or so). It passed Randomtest but if you see any discrepancy and weird texts, please let me know. Sometimes paragraphs cling together and it gets messy.

I’ve also changed the main post with more information regarding the plot, characters, and romance.

Anyway, things implemented on the update:

  1. Finished chapter one and the first Interlude;

  2. Reworked the first part of chapter one according to feedback. I’m still not 100% satisfied with it tho.

  3. Changed some stats since the previous ones didn’t make much sense.

  4. Added a (very rudimentary) inventory. I’m still trying to make the stat page look better. I want to figure out how to display the character relationships with text and not a percentage. Hopefully next update.

Now, for those of you who have played through chapter one, I have a question. I want to add an extra weapon choice (more than four might be a bit overwhelming for me), but I can’t decide. Which one would you guys be most interested in?

  • Short Sword and Shield
  • Battleaxe
  • Crossbow
  • Mace
  • Spear
  • Other (comments)

0 voters

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The demo was amazing!! This game has a lot of potential. :+1:t3:(The banner looks beautiful!)

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I enjoy Alessa, I look forward to see where you end up going with this. Anything that lets me use Dual Daggers is a win for me~

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Wow… that is an engaging and wonderful first chapter, i especially like the potential romance interaction with Alessa and Haldrian… the dialogue with them is cute :slight_smile:

But there is one thing that i am pondering … so if we are not commited to Faith , or should i say the Faith of Haldrian, we will be consider Sinful … which i feel is a bit “weird” , because even if MC is interested in an alternate Faith such as the old Faith in the altar of the ruin , it shouldn’t be consider a sin right? :slight_smile:

Oh… so Haldrian is an Ex Templar ? I am interest with him and especially the residue of Knight Templar… will we be getting to know what happen to the remainder of the knight Templar after the Betrayal of the pope and the French king ?

Do you think you will add characters from the Teutonic Knights and Knight Hospitality? Well… i notice that while many story add in story about the Templar, none choose the Teutonic or Hospitality order… so i think it will be refreshing or invoke more interest if either a Teutonic or Hospitality Order character be introduce as Hadrian’s rival :-):sweat_smile:

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You just inflated mine and my sister’s ego - so a big thank you for your comment :grin:

Glad you enjoyed her. Alessa is extremely fun to write. I can’t wait to show you more about her.

Also, team rogue for life! I love double daggers too. They’re so badass.

That’s good to hear :slight_smile: To be honest, writing character interactions is one of my favorite things to write about. Right after descriptions.

I’m kinda fearful that some of the “romance” interactions may appear too early in the game, but the characters have already developed an attachment to the MC. And they act accordingly. Hopefully, if someone is not interested, I gave satisfactory ways to turn them down.

Oohh it’s definitely considered a sin. In the eyes of the Vatican- who pretty much holds absolute power over the lands - if you follow another “alternate” religion then it is a heresy. One of the highest ones.

The Sinful/Pious stat tracks how you feel about the religious status quo. In this case, the Catholic Church.
I’m definitely planning to add the option for the MC to not only learn about “alternative” religions but also to practice them in secret. But by then your Sinful meter will be all the way up.

Regarding Hadrian… Hadrian is an ex-Templar but not because his former Order was disbanded. He left (or was kicked out - that’s for you to discover). In this alternative timeline, Philip IV of France never prosecuted The Knights Templars. They still exist - but there are more Orders now, according to the region they are on. Which makes for an interesting power struggle.

The Templars in the game are mostly inspired by the Order of Christ (also known as Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ) - The Portuguese Order of Templars. Mainly because it’s the one I know most about lol.

I’m still not sure if I will make up a new order or simply use the Order of Christ tho. I’ll have to think about that. But if Hadrian was apart of any of the authentic orders, it would be that one.

I actually don’t know who the Knights of Hospitality are, but regarding the Teutonic Order? There may be a character that is apart of it. Jerusalem’s name is on everyone’s tongue, after all.

But what do you particularly like about those Orders? What sets them apart? What kind of things would you like to see in-game?

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Oh… if i am not mistaken, the 3 most famous christian orders during medieval time are Templar, Teutonic and Hospitality

Templar and Hospitality are involve in Jerusalem, however Hospitality seems to be the modest of them all, they mainly provide refuge and medical treatment , but also involve in the war or battle… In fact the Kark de Chevalier fortress , strongest fortress and most unbreakable by sheer military force was defend by the knight Hospitalier …
However, this order is mostly underated as compare with the Templars…

The Teutonic Order involve in the holy war of Eastern Europe, against the so called “Pagan” religion… if i am not mistaken Teutonic Order stronghold was in Prussia/Germany and their main rivals are Polish/Lithuania… Well these teutonic Knights wore fancy terrifying Helmet when rode in battle , their knighs are the most heavily armour and most skillful combatants …they also have admirable military formation and discipline

teutonic-knight-04-andrea-mazzocchetti
teutonic-knight-04-andrea-mazzocchetti622×900 118 KB

See those helmet with the horn? Typical Teutonic Uniform… awesome right??

Well… i read that both Teutonic Order and Hospitality retain their order out of formality till these days, they still have a Grand Master of their order:-)

Oh … and you definitely have great talent writing romantic interaction, and it was presented in a soft, intriguing way :slight_smile:

Well… i guess this is the first time i am going to be a Sinful protagonist …Lol I initially was worry that the sinful meter increase if i have romantic interaction with Alessa, now i am relief that the Sin is not based on romantic interaction :-):joy:

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