The Chronicles Of The Pathseeker
..........................................
The Plot:
You are Gray Pathseeker, a young healer is sent on another mission with his peace keeping unit (A team of a few military soldiers and combat medic/healer) to rescue victims of war, The main powers in this world are the Hevellian empire and the Stenforian empire, the healer belonging to the latter. These two great powers maneuver their conflict through proxies, alliances and espionage.
Gray receives a side assignment to decode the secrets of an anceint cult, Xolonism, with artifacts scattered throughout Agora, the world in which this story unfolds.
During his quest, he has to manage his inner fear and anxiety, make choices in regards to his mission and love life.
The wold of Agora is very ubiquitous, different nations and people of different cultures are scattered on its surface, the great powers having acheived the ultimate medical advancement, stem-cell therapy, being able to cure virtually any disease, except for death from old age.
Your choices will decide whether you make friends out of enemies or enemies out of friends during your journey.
One choice comes up during this journey, to allow the status quo to go on or to change the fate of the billions living on Agora, a choice with great consequences for both you and those close to you.
------------------------------------------
The World of Agora:
-Geography:
It has a diameter of 6,794 km, a day being 24 hours and 37 minutes, a year 687 days. The water on Agora covers 80% of its total mass, being an essential element in the survival of intelligent life, while oxygen being a secondary element, it makes up 10% of the planet's atmosphere. Its lands are characterised mostly by green hills, valleys and islands with a good amount of rocky mountains, while the rest of landforms are less well represented.
The light source of the planet originates in a star much like the sun called ´´the Source´´.
Biology:
Intelligent life is represented by ´´the Firsts´´ who are bipedal with the capacity to breakdown water molecules in their organism into oxygen, having a small pouch-like organ that stores water for breakdown, therefore these firsts can survive underwater for 24 hours due to this special capacity and do not depend on breathing and atmospheric oxygen directly.
Non-intelligent life forms include vertebrate creatures as such as ´´Amphibin Hardskins´´ which are hard skinned lizard-frog like in appearance, quadripedals, the size of the firsts and quite dangerous in that they are poisonous; ´´the Winged Hardskins´´, lizard-like flying creatures, of the same size as amphibian hardskins and also quadripedals yet less aggressive; ¨the Water Dependents´´ which are blowfish-like, creatures that survive upon lesser life forms. ´´the Akan´´ are mammal camel-like creatures except that they have a single large hump, are grey coloured and have elephant like trunks. If not tamed, they can be aggressive. They feed on amphibins and desert rodents. Rodents are represented by desert mice and rats. The invertebrates are mostly represented by worms that live on land and water insects that are preyed upon by the water dependents. The hydraulic pouch that the Firsts have is thought to have boosted their oxygen levels and therefore in time they had developed intelligence.
Nutrition and Physiology:
The Firsts survive by consuming inanimate life forms known as ´´the Green´´, these life forms are plant-like and compose together with water dependents most of the necessary requirements of the Firsts diet except that certain elements such as protein and iron are poorly represented in them and therefore a certain practise has been going on in the history of the first which is the consumption after processing of a deceased First by extracting a protein known as the Prion which can cause neurotoxicity and death, thus making corpse cannibalism acceptable in biological terms though still unethical. This fact has been a subject of debate since the invention of protein processors, 200 years ago during the technical revolution, this is also the reason a good amount of the learned Firsts and activists choose the Green consumption over meat.
Firsts do not die of disease as they possess stem cell generation through a functional mechanism which allows for neuron and myocyte generation which allows for continued life-span and thus avoiding death from myocardial infarction, heart failure or cerebral atrophy. The skin still ages save for a select few who possess a rare genetic code which allows for regeneration of certain skin cellular elements that are otherwise absent in other Firsts.
Races:
The Stenforians:
Frists that are fair to dark skinned, similar physically in appearance to humans, characterised by a balance between their physical capabilities and intelligence. They are also characterised as a people of artistic prowess. They inhabit the lands under the authority of the Stenforian Empire, the empire being one of the two great powers on Planet, claiming the Eastern continent. Gray and his adoptive parents belong to this race.
The Hellevians:
Fair skinned only, physically well-built and tall. They are known as warriors who rejoice in battle. In the early days they were hunters who used Amphibian creatures as a source of nutrition and resources for materials such as clothing and such. The use of these creatures as meat causes long term degeneration and wasting of the muscles due to several proteins in their organism, this has made the conquerors a mortal race, until they learned of this fact through other races by means of travel and trade. They are the representants of the Hevellian Empire, which has under its authority the Sibia Isles and the Silmian Desert.
The Garanians:
Characterised physically by slightly dark skin, large bellies, middle to tall stature. Their faces are marked by a large drooping nose, ears with large lobes usually bearing ring-earrings. They are a cunning race that since old times, took on merchantry, trade, and exploration, thus establishing the first contact and trade between the races. They tend to pursue only that which brings them profits and therefore are not interested in offering voluntary help except as a trade. They have avoided war through making political alliances in the form of commercial agreements with the great powers of Hevellia and Stenforia by offering goods native to Garania that are required in technical advancements as such as crystals, metals and even nutritional plants that only the Garanians are capable of culturing. The Garanians' reason for neutrality is not because they are pacifists per se, but rather because they see no profit in war and their natural impulse is to trade. The Garanian Isles are a republic governed by a social democracy of parliament and government. There is a defensive force represented by mercenaries from different parts of Planet.
The Sibians:
A race similar to that of Stenforia in their appearance. They are a race of great intellect that have given rise to the technical revolution 200 years ago, but due to their inefficient physique they were not fast enough to defend themselves against the Hellevian empire which proclaimed the Sibian isles as tributaries to their empire. Thanks to the fact that a large amount of Sibians fled to Stenforia when the Hellevian empire attacked them, the Hevellian empire is not the only possessor of the means for technical advancement, the Sibians turned to Stenforia for refuge, which offered the Sibians citizenships in exchange for their service in the technical advancement of Stenforia.
The Daughters of Silmia:
race of warrior females, well built and dark skinned. They have the ability to reproduce once to two times in their life span through spontaneous ovulation and birth when they come of age, giving birth only to females. This is thought to be a genetic quirk that gave them the ability to produce through ovulation a cell containing the two x chromosomes to begin with, this cell would migrate to the womb and grow as a foetus. Some of these warriors couple with other Silmian daughters while some tend to couple with males from other races. This practise of foreign coupling is shunned upon by the Sisters, a parliament of Silmian daughters that acts as a legislative and ruling unit for the daughters. The daughters inhabit the Silmian mountains and are considered a vassal state of the Hevellian Empire, the daughters being a minority in Agora and not having enough resources to stand against the modern weaponry and physical prowess of the Hevellians.
The Barae:
a primitive, nomadic, tribal race, they are slightly dark skinned and dark haired but otherwise similar in physical appearance to Stenforians. They are characterised by their nomadic lifestyle as they live in tents and travel throughout their life in the Silmian Deserts. They have a central city ´´the Dalab´´ which is not ruled by a specific ruler but rather has a council of law called ´´the Elders´´ that upholds the legislature otherwise there are no armies or soldiers save for guards hired by the council. They like the Garanians are a race known for dealing with trade but unlike the Garanians they are quite hospitable and may lend a hand to those in need rather than not. They have not been allowed to the technical advancement of the Planet for anything more than what advances their trade. The Stenforian Empire provides them with protection and offers them citizenships, thus claiming the Silmian Desert as part of its empire. This move is a reproduction of the Stenfordian conquership of the Daughters of Silmia through negotiation, initiated by the Barae in order to avoid conflict with the formidable Hevellian Empire right after they took wind of them taking over the Sibian Isles.
Characters:
Gray Pathseeker
The protagonist, he does not know his real parents as he is adopted as a war orphan following the previous war on his homeland by an invading party. His adoptive parents the Pathseekers are natives to their land and are a couple of a tall, abusive, addicted yet hardworking and generous mother and a kind, peaceful, introverted, short-statured father. His skin is quite a bit darker than his adoptive parents who are fair skinned. He has a good relationship with his father although issues do exist between them, but far worse with his mother who is easily upset and somehow selfish in her behaviour. This family has seen good days in the beginning, when he was a child of two but as he grew up, the merry family of three had difficult times. He had to move several times as his mother was being investigated by ´´His Majesty’s Shadows´´ (an investigative unit of the kingdom of which is little known except that its agents seek out corrupted individuals and take them away for punishment, commonly referred to as the Shadows) and therefore had to change their address quite often and even reforge their identities due to her cheating on income taxes, until the invention of ´´the biological identities´´ (identification of each individual within the kingdom according to their genetic code), at that instance of their life he was in a state of neither misery nor happiness but rather stuck between the two as he had no means of living but had to rely on his mother (tradeswoman) who earned just enough to keep them in this state of neutrality while his father was only able to take care of their home, as he previously was a military man in his majesty's royal squadrons and was wounded transporting supplies as a military transport (his physical build would not suffice for more and his intellect did not make of him a cunning fighter) in his arm, making it difficult for him to work as a labour man while his education was quite practical and elementary, therefore it was he who did most if not all of cooking and cleaning while his mother worked. It was his father who found him during the war which involved his native country (a neighbouring country and ally to the adversary of his parents land of origin) and took him with him, hiding him in his vehicle while the squadrons where executing the remaining survivors from his country to avoid a vengeful rebellion in the aftermath.
Doman Heavybearer:
Gray's best friend, he is a son of a low class building-machine operator. Doman has grown up in poverty, never having more than what is needed to stay alive, such as food and a roof over his head. He is the middle child of 3 brothers, which makes him a refined diplomat and a medium in conflicts. He is rarely, if never upset and tends to enjoy life to its maximum. He is Gray´s best friend from the neighbourhood and closest person to him after his parents. The hard life has made Doman resistant to disappointments and decreased his threshold for satisfaction making him appreciate the little things in life.
Serenity Peacekeeper:
Gray's commander and friend. She is the daughter of a high commander, Grandizer, in the Stenforian military who is considered the third in command after Rexian and his second. Her mother is a Sibian who sought refuge in Stenforia following the Hevellian invasion of the isles, who offered her plenty of encouragement and support during her childhood. Her mother is one of the leading Stenforian technicians and a professor at the institute of technical science. She is friends with Gray from school, having warmth and kindness as a common trait. Although she is Rose´s best friend, she is attracted to females and less to males. She and Harper do not get along with their personalities being opposites. Since a child, Serenity has assumed the role of protector of the weak and less fortunate, for instance she would go with her mother into the market and donate her coin bank which she saved through the year, a practise she kept through the years, or that she would stand up against bullies, due to her fathers´ position, no one would dare go against her. This has made her very confident.
Rose Landruler:
Gray's crush and childhood friend. She is born into a wealthy family of four, her father is the son of the former duke of Havdara and was to be a duke himself before the abolishment of nobility instituted by the Emperor, in favour of government representatives. Her father moved to the capital Aria with her mother before she was born. He is the minister of health to the Emperor, while her mother is a healer. Her brother, ´´Harper´´, who she gets along with, is two years younger than her. She and Gray are friends from school and kept in touch. Gray had a crush on her and had confessed but his personality and background excluded him as a candidate, both for her and her parents, instead she had relationships with either more physically capable or wealthier individuals. She liked Gray but she could never see herself with a man like him, who has nothing to offer her more than mundane words or his emotions which were hardly a solid ground for being together.
Bianca:
A Sibian school teacher, enduring as the conflict worsens between the resistance fighters of Sibia and the Hevellian Empire, along with her son and husband. Up until the conflict on her small island had begun, she had lived a very average and mundane life. Upon meeting Gray and Serenity during this conflict, her life changes completely.
Notable influences on this VN: Akira Toriyama and Tite Kubo (Character creation, art concepts, plot elements), Frank Herbert's Dune (World building and mysticysim).
Art by: https://www.deviantart.com/edogreed.
Backgrounds created with Ai (Midjourney) with certains modifications, especially for CGS.
Download links for PC and Mac on Itch.io:
https://grooveninja.itch.io/tcotp
Progress so far: A whole saga (about 35-45%) is done, with the exception of one path towards the end of the saga.