[WIP] Chains of Destiny: Book One (~271k words) - Last update: 2024/08/18

Hi, I have written and rewritten this post 10 times, and I have like 4 different variations of it (each one more cringe than the last), but I decided to stick with speaking plainly and honestly.

Plot summary/premise

I’m really bad at marketing or summarizing, but here we go:

Few families can say that they’ve been blessed by the gods, and even fewer can count ancestors as illustrious and celebrated as Niemon, your great-grandfather. He was the very man who led the rebellion against a tyrannical magocracy and laid the founding stones for a free and fair republic. Your family was destined for greatness and respect, but your grandfather ruined it all…

You are the heir to House Serin, and the burden of your family’s legacy weighs heavily on you. However, your destiny is much greater than that of your forefathers, maybe even the great Niemon’s.

So let the chronicles begin! But remember, the chains of destiny are strong, and they will not be easily broken.

Do you have the power to defy fate?

So now that we got the marketing material out of the way, let me speak plainly. This game is set in a fictional fantasy world where powers that most people call “magic” are present but very rare. This is also my first ever attempt at writing something and (as you will surely see) English is not my native language, plus I haven’t coded anything before. So yeah…

Also, despite the summary making it seem like it, you are not the Chosen One God King Demon Lord Hero. You are just a human—weak and fragile but with more potential than you think.

Currently, the demo has ~271k words in it and I have no idea how long it will be.

Demo link for anyone interested: https://dashingdon.com/play/notlev/chains-of-destiny/mygame/

Tumblr: https://chains-of-destiny.tumblr.com

The ROs

Romance

I will just start by saying that romance is NOT mandatory.

Currently, there are five planned ROs: Two males and three females with one poly route - you can romance any of them, regardless of the MC’s gender.

Elaine (Female)

Your initial meeting didn’t go smoothly, to say the least. She hates your guts, and the feeling is mutual. Caught on opposing sides of a war, there is no other way but to brand each other as enemies. However, fate is a fickle thing. What if you were forced to work together? What if your very lives depended on your ability to set aside your differences and work together? Could you learn to trust each other?

Renna (Female)

She’s got one mission: to protect you. But let’s be real, you’re her payday, the job that will make her rich. Renna is a wild one—impulsive and competitive. Everything is a race for her, and she’ll do anything to cross the finish line first. One thing’s for sure, with Renna, life will never be boring. Can you keep up with her?

Iris (Female)

You thought your sister was bad, and then you met Iris. The girl can spew out a hundred words within the span of a single breath, and jump from topic to topic faster than you can blink. Watching Archibald and his daughter talk is like watching two whirlwinds collide. But beneath all of that verbal chaos lies a heart of gold. Can you break through the storm of words and discover the real Iris?

Zenon (Male)

You have known Zenon since you were barely more than a child, and he’s always been the quiet type. But when you look into his eyes there is a hidden fire that refuses to be extinguished. Every once in a while that fire ignites, and you catch a glimpse of the person he could be if he only allowed himself to let go of the brakes. Can you help him break free and become the person he was meant to be?

Barnabas (Male)

Barnabas has been labeled many things over the years: a snake, a schemer, a womanizer. He has a quick wit and rarely holds back his tongue. But above all, Barnabas is a man of contradictions. One moment he snaps at the slightest provocation, the next he’s the first to lend a helping hand. Is it all just another ploy to get what he wants, or is there more to this schemer than meets the eye?

Amir (Male)

[No character pic yet]

You’ve likely heard knights speak of their vows, the sacred virtues they’re sworn to uphold—to defend the weak and the innocent, to fight for what’s right. Amir wholeheartedly believes in these principles.

For him, these are not just words and empty promises, not just a duty or an obligation but a calling that guides his every action. Even if he has to struggle, even if it would be wiser to just stay down and accept the injustice, Amir will push through and stand up for what he believes is right. Because he has both nothing and everything to lose.

To his companions, Amir is a humble yet strange man. He often gets confused about the most basic things, his odd questions earning him many raised eyebrows and chuckles from fellow travelers. In some ways, it feels like they are traveling with a child learning about the world for the first time.

But who is Amir, really? And what does it mean to be a true knight in a world that has long forsaken the ideals of chivalry?

Commissions

Juna

Nemio

Barnabas

Iris

Zenon

All character portraits were made by Sunnie.

Update Log

Total word count: ~271k words (as of 2024/08/18)

  • First release (2023/11/03): Prologue (2,5k words), Chapter 1 part 1 (50,5k words)

  • Update #1 (2023/12/15): Chapter 1 part 2 (+32k words)

  • Update #2 (2024/03/22): Chapter 2 part 1 (+~77k words)

  • Update #3 (2024/05/01): Chapter 2 part 1 additions (+27k words)

  • Update #4 (2024/08/18): Chapter 2 part 2 (+~81k words)

Plans for the next update:

  • Finish the locked Zenon and Barnabas scenes in Chapter 2 Part 2
  • Add Character information pages for all the new characters in Chapter 2 Part 2
  • Fix the bugs, typos, and any other problems related to Chapter 1 and Chapter 2
411 Likes

A tempting choice

53 Likes

I just finished my first playthrough, author
How dare you?

23 Likes

I’m so sorry man :confused: I hope you at least had some fun while playing it.

24 Likes

This is really well written and I enjoyed…most of it. It definitely ends on a sad note!! :sob:

There are several locations where the pronouns don’t match. I have to head out right now so I can’t go back and flag them but I’ll try to do that later tonight. (My MC is female, but had male pronouns used.)

If it’s not spoilers, I’m curious about all the potential romance options. There were little heart options for Zenon, so I presume that will be a least a small facet of the game.

Really looking forward to seeing where you take this!

Edit: Also, I first named my MC Julia and got really confused when I got home and met my little sister. I know in other games I’ve been warned when I type in a custom name that it’s another character’s name. I don’t know how difficult the coding on that would be, but if it’s something easy it might be worth it!

13 Likes

I’m really glad you enjoyed it! I completely forgot about mentioning the ROs in my post. Currently, there are five planned ROs (2 males, and 3 females - you can romance any of them, regardless of the MC’s gender). I’ll make sure to include this in my post, thank you for mentioning it!

As for the name issue, I think I can implement a warning like that. It shouldn’t be hard to code it.

7 Likes

Sounds interesting wanted to be demon lord haha

6 Likes

This was interesting to read. Keep up the awesome work.

4 Likes

Nah, what clear bias. They are right!

This is a great game so far. I like how there are lots of choices. Also really long for a first demo, which is nice surprise for me.

My MC from Fallen Hero is named Cole. The funny thing is that if I put my Cole here instead of this guy, the behavior would be exactly the same :skull:

7 Likes

Soo… Mc can use magic right?. Also can we wreck havoc?, I just love the idea of causing chaos.

3 Likes

like it good decison you did listen to your friends cant wait for more would be sad to miss that.

found a bug in the save system , it shows me saves from a another wip think that should not mix but so far everything good

7 Likes

Thank you, I’m happy that you enjoyed it!

Well…in a way yes. I don’t want to start a lore dump, but basically “regular” magic is something that anyone can do if they have the magical potential, so yeah you will be able to use regular magic. I don’t want to spoil anything, but you will have something even better. If you like the idea of causing chaos, than I think you will like this one.

I’m glad you are enjoying it!

9 Likes

People are going to die, I only hope I can make that man pay before it ends for him.

14 Likes

I am so glad you listened to your friends, this was fantastic and you are a talented writer, I can’t wait for more!

6 Likes

It feels like you wanna write an actual novel book. Choices are few and far in-between

7 Likes

I absolutely loved this demo so goddamn much. Its so good i went and made an account to simply tell you how good it is. I tried to stalk your tumblr but couldnt find one. Also your summary made me laugh. Have more faith in yourself those friends werent lying. You are really talented. I’m excited for more.

4 Likes

Yeah, that’s a valid criticism. How my logic goes is that your character is a child (currently), and a typical 12-year-old doesn’t really have many options to change the course of the story. Sure you can try, but I don’t think that’s realistic at this point (or I could be entirely wrong, it happens). I’m sorry, but the first chapter will probably be like this. However, as the story progresses, my plan is to implement more opportunities for impactful decisions.

I’m glad you liked it! I don’t have a tumblr yet, I wanted to at least finish chapter 1 before making one.

14 Likes

You’ve got good friends to gaslight you into making this*(tho, is it gaslighting if it’s true?)*.

Regardless, I like this a lot so far and can’t wait for the next update. And perhaps… If it’s not too much trouble, could we get some extra info on the ROs? Pls 'n Thx

6 Likes

Yes, absolutely! I will update my post today with all the different ROs and a short description of them.

5 Likes

If it’s not too spoilery, can you tell us who is in the poly?

1 Like