07-04-2025, 10:02 PM
-- okay, if you prefer the idea of us trying to keep from being noticed by Hawkern because we're a Bride on the lam, i'm down for that. I did put in a mention in the KITCHEN where the MC points out that nobody knows her name for some inexplicable reason but would tie nicely into the hiding/subterfuge thing. Is Former Castellan still alive? I guess I could sent up a HUT INLAND somewhere where we originally were taken, but we have to trek into town every now and again out of desperation for food or supplies, upping the risk of being spotted/recognized/caught.
-- Rafayel's pool depths would link eventually to the sea (potentially through the THE CAVES, but it could go anywhere at all, since it would be "under" Whalefall City.
-- I am not sure how far to go with the variable tracking and how much of a 'game' versus a 'story' to take it. $hunger would be a good one to use as a variable for what is or isn't do-able in some scenarios, but then would have to be careful that there is enough food scattered around that a saavy player could find it. I am currently lightly playing with two route options - 1)you spend a bunch of time loading up your $dream points, which will give you some foreknowledge but will also tip your game into more horror elements, or 2) you prioritize gathering $food and its more of a surface level thing where yes, you could run or jump or climb over things that wouldn't be options if you were too hungry.
-- unhinged and degenerate. noted! also dubious consent, my beloved . my heart tells me i love me some coercive ritualist sex on an altar while armed guards with spears make sure you can't get out, even if you wanted to.
-- hadn't thought as far as $favor being tied to what you are or are not willing to do for Rafayel in a spicy sense, but we are soooo going to go there now! I wouldn't consider it out of character in this alternate thing, because the Sea God is what we're going to wake up, not so much Rafayel himself who would be the one with the aversion to hurting her/general cruelty/you know what i mean. I envision that *reaching* Rafayel through the Sea God is going to be what plays into the GOOD ENDING.
-- Rafayel's pool depths would link eventually to the sea (potentially through the THE CAVES, but it could go anywhere at all, since it would be "under" Whalefall City.
-- I am not sure how far to go with the variable tracking and how much of a 'game' versus a 'story' to take it. $hunger would be a good one to use as a variable for what is or isn't do-able in some scenarios, but then would have to be careful that there is enough food scattered around that a saavy player could find it. I am currently lightly playing with two route options - 1)you spend a bunch of time loading up your $dream points, which will give you some foreknowledge but will also tip your game into more horror elements, or 2) you prioritize gathering $food and its more of a surface level thing where yes, you could run or jump or climb over things that wouldn't be options if you were too hungry.
-- unhinged and degenerate. noted! also dubious consent, my beloved . my heart tells me i love me some coercive ritualist sex on an altar while armed guards with spears make sure you can't get out, even if you wanted to.
-- hadn't thought as far as $favor being tied to what you are or are not willing to do for Rafayel in a spicy sense, but we are soooo going to go there now! I wouldn't consider it out of character in this alternate thing, because the Sea God is what we're going to wake up, not so much Rafayel himself who would be the one with the aversion to hurting her/general cruelty/you know what i mean. I envision that *reaching* Rafayel through the Sea God is going to be what plays into the GOOD ENDING.
- Deep Rises, SeaGod Not Found, City Dies [either MC doesn't find SeaGod or MC dies before finding him]
Yes, exactly this. If the MC dies or fails a certain metric by a certain timeline (ie, the Sea God Festival that I have yet to jam in somewhere), then we never find Rafayel, nothing holds back the Sea and everything dies.
- Deep Rises, SeaGod Kills The Bride, City Dies [here we start counting SeaGod's favor points? Below a certain range he kills us? Or we want to add the fact that MC has to be in love with him AND have low SeaGod's favor? Is it implied that MC falls in love with him or is it not relevant to this story?]
This one I envisioned that MC didn't curry enough favor points with the Sea God, so he kills her for the heart and abandons the city, letting the Sea take it. I should probably extrapolate that I am not considering at the moment any option where the Sea God WANTS to save the city. The Sea is angry (the city is against the Sea, they are not honoring the Bride, the temple has no real worshippers, etc) and the Sea God will be the one to decide at what point he lets the Sea do what it wants to do anyways. Waking the Sea God is kind of a hail mary pass for the city, although they don't know that yet.
EDIT: "Deep Rises" is probably a misnomer. The Sea is currently killing the city by holding back its bounty and its starting to attack the fishing ships. Maybe its more like "Deep Retreats", essentially starving the city out. Although I guess it could go all tsunami? Nobody left to turn into mermaids!
- Deep Held Back, SeaGod Kills The Bride, City Saved [this could be a middle range SeaGod's favor? Or could be tied to a specific series of actions from MC? Low love but low-medium SG's favor? IDK, I'm throwing it out there, there's no love meter here]
This one I had a vague notion that the Sea God kills the Bride for her heart but she has swayed him to the point of taking on the responsibility for the city and giving Lemuria life again. She's convinced Rafayel that there is still a reason to this world! It must be saved and if it needs her death, then he should take it. Since Rafayel himself in the GoT timeline buried his people so she could be free, I thought there should be a version where she tries to get him to care more altruistically.
- Deep Held Back, SeaGod Saves Bride, City Dies [high favor, he loves her, she loves him, but certain actions dooms the city anyway. The prophecy in the Tome? They have to find the tome and either change it or destroy it to change their fate?]
This one I'm not sure about. I just liked the symmetry of having two "lukewarm" endings. Maybe they run off together because Hawkern has swayed the people to the point where Rafayel has no interest in saving them from anything. He doesn't call down or let the Sea sweep them away, he just leaves with her and they fizzle out on their island in regret and fear as their children become stillborn and the fish dry up entirely. I am down to hear anything that you think could work for this, like somehow bringing the Tome (or its destruction?) to the forefront.
- Deep Held Back, SeaGod Saves Bride, City Saved [same as above?]
aka Everybody Lives, Nobody Dies (Except Maybe Hawkern), and the tide gently rises and Lemuria lives once more in abundance and plenty with their Sea God and Bride holding court over all.
