Hunter's Sacrifice (Tumblr link is up)

The Hunter’s Sacrifice is a low-fantasy story about sacrifices, love and revenge, set in a dystopian future, where every mistake could prove fatal.

Demo: link (29. 08. 2018)

NOTE: this is a character-driven story.

Short Special Stories (currently contain only Halloween with team or B)

Tumblr: https://fullyfadingnight.tumblr.com/

FEATURES

  • Play as female, male or non-binary,
  • Decide on your MC’s personality and goals,
  • Form friendships, fall in love or make enemies,
  • Influence the relationships of those around you,
  • Choose your fate and the fate of the Society.

Premise

This is a story about a Society living deep under the earth’s surface, where people are connected together in an enormous mental network.

As a leader of one of the hunting teams, your job is to ensure both the survival of your people and your hunters. Needless to say, you are no stranger to danger.

Only this time the biggest threat just might be lurking in the corners of your own home.

Background lore

Centuries ago, nations went to an all-out war. Neighbour fought neighbour. Family killed family. Land was soaked with blood. Water turned red. Millions have fallen. Young. Old. Women. Men. Children. Civilians and soldiers alike.

No-one was safe. Nowhere was safe.

Earth, scarred with explosion and bathed in pollution, grew desolate. More had died. People on every side had to stop fighting, forcefully united against the new enemy – extinction. Leaving piles and piles of bodies behind, survivors retreated deep under the surface, to escape the deadly claws of radiation. Nobody was left unscathed.

In a weird twist of fate, humanity was with unexpected mutation, allowing them to form almost telepathic connections with one another. These bonds later cultivated as the very core of the first Societies.

Faced with the harsh conditions of living under the ground, leaders of the survivors had to make difficult choices and take even more drastic measures.

Yes. In attempt to preserve the human race, they did the unthinkable – they put a price on every life.

From then on, each action had consequences. The bad apples – criminals, rebels, slackers – were slowly rooted out, leaving only model citizens behind.

You are one of the descendants.

Your Team

Zero (M/F/NB): the youngest hunter to join your team. While easily embarrassed and prone to blushing, this archer is not afraid to spill blood for their precious ones, nor willing to risk life for what is right. With Zero’s kind heart, it is only a matter of time before someone tries to take advantage. Can be underestimated because of inexperience. [RO]

One (M): has always a sarcastic remark at hand, should you cross his boundaries. Despite his less-than-friendly disposition, fiercely dedicated to the Society. Joined the Hunting Division together with Four. Despite the initial hiccups the pair grew close.

Two (M): is a bit of an enigma. Besides axe being his weapon of choice, not much is known about him. He can usually be found around Three.

Three (F): is known for her steady hand and stable temper. While she is generally a quiet person, she will speak out if needed. Three mostly spends her free time in the company of Two. Probably prefers weapons to humans.

Four (M): initially became a hunter for the job benefits, and stayed for the thrill. He is probably one of the most popular hunters on the team thanks to his cheerful nature. Can be somewhat of a flirt. He is good friends with One.

Five (F): as a daughter of two hunters, Five has been training to become one herself from a young age. While she can come across as cold and uncaring due to her stern persona, it is clear she is extremely attached to Eight. Some say, she is as good a cook as she is a swordswoman. She worries more than she is willing to let you know.

Six (F): is very much a people’s person, Six is very easy to get along and can handle even the more difficult members on the team. Although Six enjoys socializing, she sometimes disappears to unknown places together with Seven. Dislikes conflicts.

Seven (M): wears his heart on sleeve. Both deeply loyal and hot-headed, Seven can be a tad reckless, especially when people he cares about are involved. Eleven’s younger brother. The two often clash due to stark differences in personality. Has a greater respect for his Captain.

Eight (F): favors nonsensical approach to problems, so don’t expect her to be holding your hand in anything, really. She will, however, teach you to fend off for yourself. Eight’s fondness of Five is apparent to anyone, who sees them together.

Nine (M): is more of a tactician than a fighter with above average perception skills, unless personal relationships are involved. Has a whimsical personality. Works exceptionally well with Eleven.

Ten (M): the most laid-back hunter on the team. Behind the easy-going personality, hides a warrior who doesn’t shy away from fighting or blood. Be ready to encounter a lot of yawns, when interacting with this particular fluff of coolness. Similarly to Nine, Ten has the ability to work with just about anyone.

Eleven (M): somewhat a perfectionist and can often be training long into the night. Probably the one to tell you off for inappropriate behavior. He can be clumsy with words. Seems to look up to Nine. Twelve claims, Eleven has a weakness for sweet food.

Twelve (F): your fiery second-in-command, whose prowess with a sword is only rivaled by her iron will. Always the one to tiptoe the line between the appropriate or not, Twelve is surprisingly aware of her limits. She does believe that respect is earned not demanded, which puts her at cross with many other people of the Society. Has unexpectedly good leadership skills. [RO]

Other Characters

Trouble (M/F/NB): true to the nickname, Trouble is your self-proclaimed best friend with a penance for, well, making troubles. Less reckless than appears and will always be there in your hour of need. Armed with a sharp wit and a daring attitude, your friend seems ill-suited for the rigid mindset of your Society. [RO]

Captain B (M/F/NB): the leader of team Beta, who seems to be holding a grudge against your team. Even if B is rarely intentionally antagonistic, the captain’s dislike of you is obvious. There’s something about you that irks B’s sensibilities, thought the captain tries to be polite about it (but doesn’t always succeed). A stark defender of the Society. [RO]

Raven (M/F/NB): a member of the Council. Despite being one of the most powerful people in your Homeland, Raven is polite to a fault (or so other people say). Just don’t mistake Raven’s congeniality for weakness. Somewhat of a wordsmith. Has a suspicious timing. [RO]

??? (?): Someone you have yet to meet. Should you go down this path, hardship awaits you. [RO]

Hi everyone!

Welcome to my first CoG ever. Since this is also my first time writing anything of this scale, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.
If there’s anything you’d like to add or ask, feel free to do so. Consider leaving a like, if you enjoyed the demo :wink:

And since I am on the constant hunt for feedback, please consider answering some of the questions below.

Questions
  1. What kind of a hunter will you be playing as?
  2. Who caught your interest?
  3. What would you like to see in the story? (eg. hunting Prowlers, fighting with Twelve …)
  4. What did you like? What could have been done better?

The Hunter’s Sacrifice is a parallel story to my other WIP Raven’s Flight with the focus on war, exploration and team dynamics (whereas Raven’s Flight deals more with intrigue, scheming and human relationships). The two are two sides of the coin, so to speak.

If you played Raven’s Flight, beware! Hunter’s Sacrifice might contain some spoilers.

253 Likes

Interesting, I look forward to following this project. Keep up the excellent work, and a nice start to the world building.

1 Like

Thank you! I’m glad you liked it.

Seems interesting cant wait for more

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Good storyline! It sounds like it has lots of potential!

1 Like

@James2018 @Harley_Robin_Evans @2xs
Thank you for taking the time to comment!

Out of curiousity, what kind of a MC are you intending play as? Revenge-driven? Society-orientated? One just trying to survive? Is there anything specific you’d like to be able to do in the game?

Well I will probably play them all, but I will start with revenge, then survive, then society as I am not a very social person in real life, I struggle the most with those paths.

1 Like

I really like the premise and the way you’ve written in the “bond” between you and your team.

Unfortunately, I think it’s too early in the game to say what my MC’s motivations will be. I’m looking forward to future updates so I can decide though.

1 Like

@2xs Thank you for taking the time to answer my question! I’m actually really looking forward to writing the revenge path, although I’m still unsure about the extent of vengeance one can do - eg. should the MC be only able to destroy the Society metaphorically, eradicate of the most prominent members of Society or overthrow the current ruling power and became the sole leader of their Homeland.

@Gwenstn Thank you! I’m glad the mental bond didn’t make things too confusing with all the you’s floating around. Yeah, it might be too early in the demo to ask about the intended playstyle.

Let me rephrase my question (for the better, hopefully) - what kind of MC would you like to play? What are your usual preferences?

1 Like

SMALL UPDATE (9. 4. 20018)

  • Added Team Info
  • Added World Index
  • Polished some scenes
5 Likes

While writing the next scene, I realized the way the character was moving around Homeland made no sense … So, I created a 3D model of it.

Confused?
Me too …

By the way, the Homeland is located under the surface, so the blobs you are seeing are supposed to be caverns and underground tunnels.

14 Likes

Hey just wanted to say I like what you have so far and look forward to updates

1 Like

Hello! I just did a play through and so far it is veeeery interesting and well written, i’m surprised theres not more people in here talking about it! i’ll definitely be watching this thread :blush:

I don’t really have an opinion on the mc yet other than they seem like the serious type, which makes sense given their situation… Usually I’ll play every type of mc but I reaaaaalllly love martyr types so if there’s a chance to play as one in this game then :man_cartwheeling:t4:

here’s two typos!


started

i think you meant oblivious?

1 Like

@Shade1414 Thank you! It’s always nice to hear that people enjoyed my demo :slight_smile:

@kicks Hello! Thank you for taking the time to comment and spotting the typos, I really appreciate it :slight_smile: There will definitely be a chance to play a martyr, since it is one of more intriguing archetypes (to me at least). The hardest part will be making players care about things/people they can sacrifice themselves for, to even the score, so to speak.

Keeping my fingers crossed that more people will join the discussion after I update the demo with new scenes :smiley:

1 Like

Cool idea! Love the demo, can’t wait for more!!!

1 Like

Thank you! I hope you’ll enjoy future updates as well!

Speaking of updates, I’ll probably be updating the demo in the next few days with additional, uh, 2000 words I think. After the updates it should be around 5000 words long. Halfway to the first milestone of 10.000 words, haha.

And currently we stand at 520 clicks on the link and 15 comments. So many fives … I should probably write a scene about Five for this occasion. Hm …

6 Likes

MEDIUM UPDATE (14. 4. 20018)

  • Added new scenes
  • Added two new personality stats
  • Relationship stats should also be working properly now
6 Likes

I really like it so far. :slight_smile:

1 Like

This sounds interesting.
I will say the title did however immediately give me a mental flashback to the movie hot fuzz I started chanting the greater good for a moment then laughing.

That being said this game sounds pretty cool.

2 Likes

@M_San Thank you! I can’t tell you how awesome it is to hear readers enjoy what I write :smiley: May I ask, what kind of hero would you be interested in playing?

@Drakeye Well, now I can’t get the movie out of my mind, thank you :stuck_out_tongue: If something similar happens in my story, I’ll hold you responsible :slight_smile:

After doing some basic outlining of the next few scenes, I took some time off to focus on developing the characters and their backstories. I’ll probably post snippets of random events with the team (eg. meeting the MC and each other), just to get a clearer vision on their personalities and their relationships with each other. If you are interested in any of the characters, don’t hesitate to let me know :wink:

Here, have some Imagine Dragons (my usual go-to music for writing):

3 Likes