Announcement: A small update (11/30)
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Hi, I’m Kyle, a long time lurker here, and I admit I am really nervous in presenting my first project. I am not a native English speaker, so please point out for strange expressions or sentences you spot. The cover picture in the demo is drawn by my awesome roommate Jo, who will be doing some of the character portraits soon.
Here is a summary:
The Shadowbane was a hero of Tavaria during its founding days. According to historians, it was them who faced the first incursion of Shades and won. They banished the Shades back behind the veils, a magical barrier separating the land of mortalkind and the northern waste. This singular action gave Tavarians a long respite to rebuild and prosper. However, the happy days ended when an unknown source of magical power breached the veil, releasing the vile creatures from the captivity. Tavaria, struck unprepared, suffered defeats after defeats, its fair lands ravaged and its king perished in battles. In a desperate attempt to fight back, the Shadowbane was resurrected.
In this game, you can:
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Save the Kingdom of Tavaria by banishing the Shades. Or join the foes to destroy everything.
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Find out who you really are.
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Uncover the secrets behind the Shades. Where did they come from? Who made them?
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Romance or build friendship with any of the 7 possible companions. You will get to experience an exclusive route with them after the end of the common route.
Note that since it is still in early stages, I plan to implement the save feature once the common routes are completed. They are already written, but I am still toying with the stats to modify, which might impact the save files. If you have any suggestion, please feel free to write it down!
Currently it’s about 2 chapters done, and I plan on updating every 4 weeks.
Companions
1. Ser Wymond
Ser Wymond is the younger brother of the late king of Tavaria. He is loyal and steadfast, with his whole heart devoted to the restoration of his beloved country. Mallaidh, the sky witch who travels with you, claims that he is stubborn and inflexible as a bull, but that is probably because the pair never sees eye to eye. As the other heir of the royal line, he takes his duty seriously, but he often doubts his ability to lead, considering he has always followed his brother’s command.
He is a man in late thirties with the distinctive Tavarian royal features. His hair, eyes and skin are pale, with a prominent nose and sharp cheekbones. There are streaks of silver in his hair and lines around his eyes, but his hold of shield remains steady, and his skill of sward play is unmatched among his peers.
2. Princess Kaelyn
Princess Kaelyn is the only daughter of the late king of Tavaria. After her father’s fatal defeat at the hands of Shades and Marauders, she gathered what was left of his army and marched south to recover. However, her quest to seek aid in Shairia has met with different levels of jeers and dismissals, for a monarch without a Kingdom holds no sway in the eyes of Southern Lords.
It does not help that she appears quite unconventional in their eyes. Tall and pale with an iron mask always fastened on top of her face, the Princess earned her moniker “The Iron Maiden” with her harsh and aloof personality. Nobles of southern origins snicker at her mask behind her back, claiming that she must be disfigured to wear it all the time.
3. Arvid the Shapeshifter
Arvid was a spy of the Marauders. He defected to your side to save his own skin, but that earns him no love from the Tavarians. Only Mallaidh finds him intriguing, but her interest is purely academic. His ability to shapeshift into a nightingale is useful as a scout, but like the bird, Arvid lacks courage to actually excel at the role.
When he arrives at Shairia, he is instantly entranced by the culture of merry-making. He likes to disguise himself as a Shairian, and it would work if not for his distinctive northern features. He is gangly with a long nose and a narrow chin, a mop of wild brown curls and a pair of bright blue eyes. His voice is lovely, however, and that earns him some affection among the Shairian folks.
4. Mallaidh, the Lumian Sorceress
Mallaidh is one of the mysterious Lumians - the first creation of the sun-god Bael. She is a formidable witch wielding Light Magic, and an exceptional healing should the situation calls for it. Wymond distrusts her, not because of her intentions but due to her methods. To him, her ways seem overly cruel, but Mallaidh simply considers them effective ways to end the threats of Shades once and for all.
You learned that she is the only ever ventured out for so long. Like her sisters, she is created to appear beautiful in the eyes of men, with a face that rivals art itself, and a thick pelt of shimmering golden feathers covering the top of her head and the end of her limbs. Unlike men, she has talons instead of hands, and they prove to be an effective weapon should she need to defend herself.
5. Scribe Seraphinus
Scribe Seraphinus seems to stand out from the fair-headed, pale-skinned northmen, with his olive skin and raven-black hair. Indeed, he is a man of eastern origin, a former slave in the Azure Empire. Princess Kaelyn found him in a flesh market, and freed the man once she knew Seraphinus speaks at least sixteen different tongues. Seraphinus, grateful for the rescue, pledged his service to the princess. He serves as a guide when she stays in Shairia.
Seraphinus is reserved and elusive, but he can be quite passionate when talking about knowledge of any kind. True to his nature, he has taken up the task of scourging for your origin. The place he stayed is rather dusty, but the man does not seem to mind. He even has a small magical workshop set up inside, where he studies magic systematically. To him, magic is learned, unlike Mallaidh who is born with the innate talent to master it.
6. Caitrín of Aramore
Caitrín is the mythical companion of the Shadowbane. She is said to be a fearsome warrior maiden, towering over both the champion and the first king of Tavaria. According to a popular Shairian ballad, she was in love with the champion, although they never reciprocated it. In the end, she was heartbroken when the hero perished in the final act of sacrifice. There is no records of her afterwards, but the ballad suggested that she was no mortal, and was merely hiding deep in the mountains near the Everpeak, mourning for her long-lost heart’s desire.
If the ballad is telling the truth, Caitrín was a woman with silky black hair and lovely hazel eyes. She protected the champion in many occasions, placing herself between them and danger. The steadfast loyalty she displayed never failed to move the more romantic audience to tears.
7. ???
You are not sure what they are, but you get the sense that they are a being as ancient as the sun-god Bael. Mysterious and formless, they seem to come to your defense at your most precarious moment, without asking anything in return. You are unsure if you should trust them, despite their proclamation that they have no ulterior motives.
Gather your party and venture forth!
The game’s stat mechanic is inspired by DnD, without the dice rolling part. Some of the characters are also my old PCs, whom I think will be interesting to write a story about.
Change Log
16/11: A small update at the beginning, allowing for custom character creation for play testing.
Also added a bit of chapter two for the very same purpose. There might be some adjustments to the current chapter 2 scenes in the future.
19/11: Chapter 2 is updated. Actually the time in Caerfall is supposed to be very short, but I expanded in re-write. I might also add a few more choices and scenes. If you find some part rushed/discontinued, please let me know! (The code for this chapter is hell to write)
30/11: A small update. I expanded a choice in Chapter 2, and added part of chapter 3. The time with companions are not done yet, for that part is not originally in my draft.
Tumblr: link (Yes, we are accepting asks!)