Click here for the demo: >> Demo Link <<
The NSFW discussion thread can be found here: >> NSFW thread. <<
✧ Description
In a dark world overrun by monsters from the shadow plane, you exist as a hybrid monster hunter called a helvling , a human whose very soul has been Bound to one such entity. Travelling from warded settlement to warded settlement with your surly Keeper, Shea, you have the thankless task of defending the common folk against these horrors from Hel .
Usually, a fate such as yours is only reserved for the lowest of criminals, as penance for their loathsome deeds… You wouldn’t know if your fate has been deserved, however, since upon completion of your Binding seven years ago, all former memories of your human life have been lost.
You’ve been moulded into a weapon by the Virtuous Order, trained to be an unfeeling and ruthlessly efficient hunter… But is that who you are? Who are you, truly?
✧ Characters
The game has eight romanceable characters, six of which can be flipped between male or female, and two that can be flipped between male, female, or nonbinary.
Currently, two of the ROs are included in the demo (some of them make a minor cameo in certain branches); Shea and Elexis.
- Shea, your ever-present grim-faced Keeper. Stoic, serious, and aloof.
- Elexis, an enigmatic member of the Royal Guard. Forward, charismatic, and inscrutable.
- Idris/Idrissa, a gifted mage. Confident, intelligent, and arrogant.
- Penrose, a mighty templar. Good-natured, compassionate, and thoughtful.
- Guinn, an idealistic youth. Genuinely good, kind, and innocent.
- Eir/Eiri, a cynical mercenary. Abrasive, sarcastic, and harsh.
- Sutton, a standoffish druid. Hot-tempered, passionate, and reserved.
- Sinclair, a flirtatious scoundrel. Jovial, mischievous, and charming.
Companion info (minor spoilers)
The Enlightened Empire and the Virtuous Order:
Your Keeper
Shea Clane. F/M. 39. 6’1”/186 cm. Glossy raven hair, olive skin, pale grey eyes.
Moodboard
Shea has served as your Keeper for the past six years, turning you from a feral monster into a person that somehow resembles something approaching human. They’re not unkind, but they’re very stern and have a strong preference for a strict routine. They rarely show any sign of emotion.
Shea is tall and broad-shouldered with a powerful build and muscular arms and legs, which are mostly hidden behind layers of leather armour, warm furs, and a thick dark grey cloak. They wear their glossy hair in a tightly pulled back ponytail. They wield a sword and are proficient in the use of combat magick.
The Enforcer
Elexis Selwyn. F/M. 24. 5’11”/180 cm. Bright-red straight hair, fair skin, blue eyes.
Moodboard
Not much is known about Elexis except for the fact that they’re employed by the royal family in some capacity. They have some history with Shea, but your Keeper is tight-lipped about it. Elexis likes to take jabs at people and press their buttons, to see what makes them tick. They also tend to act slightly melodramatic and over-the-top, and are very forward.
Elexis is of slightly taller than average size, with a nimble and athletic build. They most often wear form-fitting leather armour which has been dyed a dark colour, with a deep dark red cloak. Their hair, an unusual bright-red colour not unlike the colour of freshly spilled blood, reaches to just below their shoulders. They’re equipped with two curved swords of excellent make and are proficient in combat magick. They have a scar on their chin.
The Revolutionaries:
The Mage
Idrissa/Idris Renske. F/M. 29. 5’9”/176 cm. Wispy black hair, tawny skin, dark brown eyes.
Moodboard
They are a brilliant and gifted mage that turned traitor to the Empire and Order after making a shocking discovery. Due to their upbringing and previous position in life, they’ve grown privileged and slightly arrogant, but are now finally seeing the world for what it truly is. They’re willing to make amends and do what must be done, for the good of the realm.
Idris/Idrissa is of average height, with a slender and graceful build. They mostly dress in elegant yet practical clothing in various colours of dark blue or black. Their wispy hair is long, reaching to mid-back, and it is usually tied back in a top-knot or half-up. They’re very proficient in all sorts of magick.
The Protector
Penrose Sadrahar. F/M. 32. 6’5”/196 cm. Curly dark brown hair, dark skin, dark green eyes.
Moodboard
A stalwart companion of Guinn, Penrose can never be found too far away from them. Having served as their guardian for the past 13 years, the two have become nearly inseparable. Despite their occupation, Penrose is actually very kind-hearted and thoughtful. They’re compassionate and show their affections easily.
Penrose is very tall, towering over most people with a formidable and hulking build. They’re usually clad in their templar armour, which consists of various pieces of embellished gold-plated platemail. Their dark brown hair is curly, reaching to just above their shoulders. They wield a shield and longsword and have some minor knowledge of combat magick.
The Dreamer
Guinn Bedirsa. F/M/NB. 20. 5’6”/167 cm. Poofy light brown hair, bronze skin (freckled), black eyes.
Moodboard
Guinn has spent their entire life being watched over in a gilded cage. They long to be free, to use their powers for good, to just experience the world and all it has to offer. The only person that they feel they can trust completely is Penrose, who has practically raised them from a very young age. Guinn likes to see the good in everyone and they are hopelessly optimistic. They’re genuinely good and kind, which is something you don’t see very often.
Guinn is a short person with an average build, unaccustomed to any form of physical labour. They’re dressed in various layers of grey robes and their forehead is marked with a graceful silvery rune. Their light brown hair is soft and poofy and hangs like a halo around their head. Guinn has no experience fighting and does not wield a weapon.
The Liquidator
Eiri/Eir Finvrir. F/M/NB. 26. 5’9”/174 cm. Lanky white blonde hair, deathly pale skin, icy blue eyes.
Moodboard
How Eir/Eiri came to join the group is a mystery, but nevertheless the mysterious wanderer has joined forces with them against the Empire and the Order. They have a caustic personality and find most social interactions very tedious. Their outlook on life is extremely cynical.
Eir/Eiri is of average height and has a lean, sinewy build with long legs. They’re mostly dressed in all-black or dark grey, with various wickedly sharp knives hidden upon their person. Their lanky hair is uneven but reaches to about chin-length, and it usually looks like they’ve messily brushed it back too many times with their hands. They’re proficient in illusory magick.
The Druid
Sutton Kinney. F/M. 27. 6’2”/189 cm. Wavy gold blond hair, tan skin, light hazel eyes.
Moodboard
The group meets them on their travels, during a less than ideal situation. With Sutton having nothing left, they propose to join, lending their considerable skill in nature magick to the group. Sutton is a very standoff-ish person, who has no patience for people who are frivolous or otherwise airheaded (in their opinion). Due to previous events, they’re left bottling up a lot of anger, and they’re not always successful in keeping all of it contained.
Sutton is a tall person with a lean and agile build honed whilst spending years in the outdoors. They’re usually clad in brown hide armour and furs, wearing a dark blue shirt underneath. If male, their wavy hair is longer on top and shorter on the sides; if female, their hair reaches to about their shoulders and is often braided. An old scar runs across their left eyebrow. They wield a longbow and an engraved handaxe. They’re very proficient in nature magick.
The Scoundrel
Sinclair Colepepper. F/M. 24. 5’8”/172 cm. Curly ginger hair, rosy skin, blue/green eyes.
Moodboard
Sinclair’s reasons for joining the group aren’t entirely related to the revolution, but Sinclair is nevertheless stuck with them for now. Their greatest skill is the use of their mouth, in more ways than one. They possess a natural sort of charm that most people can’t help but find appealing and Sinclair makes great use of this, conning people out of their valuables left and right. Their personality can be described as jovial, flirtatious, and slightly mischievous.
Sinclair is of average height with a lithe and willowy build. They like to wear colourful and stylish clothes which show off their best assets. If male, their curly ginger hair is kept short and messy; if female, it is kept long and flowy. They’re not very skilled with weapons and only carry a small dagger with them (more for looks than anything else, really). They have some very minor skill with enchantment magick.
✧ Features
- A fully customisable main character, including pronouns, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical appearance, etc.
- Choose to be Bound to one of four (4) different helspawn entities, all of which have their own abilities and properties: the deadly basilisk, the mighty sylvan, the alluring nokken, or the terrifying barghest.
- Find your way in a world that treats you with scorn, whilst trying to retain what’s left of your sanity.
- Encounter and fight terrifying creatures and entities from the shadow plane called Hel .
- Seek answers to the mysterious origins of an event known as the Catastrophe, which brought the world to ruin little more than over 100 years ago.
- Help or hinder a group of rebels intent on destroying the established order.
- And perhaps discover the truth of your past…
Notes: Public demo last updated on 3 February. Unfortunately, due to the fact that I changed how the code works, you will have to start a new game!
For in-depth update info and other stuff, please check out my blog on tumblr. I also have a Kofi as well as a Patreon now if you’d like to support me!
New: The game now also has its own Discord server!
Changelog
- (Feb 3, 2021) Update 2.01: word count updated to 51,687, average playthrough 16,725 words. Includes more tweaks to chapter 1 and a chunk of chapter 2.
- (Nov 29, 2020) Update 1.5.1: word count updated to 34,860, average playthrough is at 10,411 words. Includes lots of tweaking and rewriting (to Shea’s branch in particular) as well as code and typo fixes!
- (Nov 23, 2020) Update 1.5: word count updated to 30,614, average playthrough is at 9,644 words. Includes a nightly visit to Shea and I added some more text to the inn encounter. Also, people doing shady things in the woods!
- (Nov 20, 2020) Update 1.4: word count updated to 27,110. In this update, the PC can visit Elexis!
- (Nov 15, 2020) Update 1.3: word count updated to 18,504! This update includes a lot of changes and has one additional branching path, please check the pinned post at my tumblr for more info.
- (Nov 4, 2020) Update 1.2: word count updated to 8,266, prologue completed, over half of chapter 1 completed
Next update
- River district branch.
Game/Character Art
OC Kiss Week 2021 Art
Elexis & Merry from The Northern Passage (by kit)
Shea & Lea from The Northern Passage (by me)
Penrose & Armine from The Eight Years Revolution (by oscar)
Elexis & The Sage from the Nameless (by parker)
Sinclair, Eir & Oisein from the Nameless (by me)
Guinn & Levi from Sentinel (by me)
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