Court Of The Gilded Roses

Dev blog for COTGR, an interactive harem drama loosely based on Sassanian Persia.

[crazerk]

When you find yourself among the few women chosen to become a concubine in the Imperial harem, you have a chance to carve your place in court.

The life of a concubine might seem luxurious and idyllic, but behind the silken curtains of the harem, dangerous games are played. Games where the wrong words will cost your life, betrayal, lies and secrets are commonplace and gaining the shah’s attention is paramount to your survival.

Intrigue, intrigue and more intrigue.

Dramatic events on par with a soap opera

Revenge, backstabbing, forbidden love, plots and more.

Rise the ranks by outsmarting or eliminating your rivals.

Produce and raise heirs to secure your place.

Influence politics through the emperor or seize power for yourself.

Learn fire magic or join a cult of chaos.

Live a life of leisure and the pursuit of higher education or a life of hedonism.

Inspired by the Sassanid dynasty and Persian mythology.

Shah Khazunef

He is calm, perspective and far less ruthless than his father before him but they share the same cunning nature and intimidating aura. Khazunef has deep brown skin, dark hazel eyes and silky mid length black hair that frames his face perfectly.

Fang

A former slave whose fighting prowess earned him freedom. He has since become a close friend of Khazunef and they regard each other as brothers. He serves as an informal advisor and spy to the shah but shirks any formal duties. Fang is charismatic and extroverted with copper red hair, rose skin and blue eyes.

Persa

Her name means dove and fits her gentle demeanor. She was raised a princess in a land of mountains and snow that was conquered by Shah Arzad. Upon the fall of her city and murder of her family, she was brought to the capital to serve in the palace. She has honey blonde hair, dark brown eyes and alabaster skin.

Ignasia

Ignasia is a fire priestess and staunch follower of the faith. Although born a noble, she gave up all claims and titles to serve in the fire temples as a guardian of the eternal flame. Ignasia has dark hair, darker eyes and a regal, reserved bearing.

Valide Zarayan

She is the ruthless and ambitious mother of Khazunef, originally a distrusted foreigner who rose to great power in the court of Shah Arzad. She rules over the harem like her own little kingdom and holds influence over her son.

Shahbanu Yaris

The wife of Khazunef and shahbanu of the realm. Yaris wed the emperor when he was 17 and she 26 in an alliance that strengthened the empire and influences it to this day.

Vizier Rubien

The grand vizier and advisor to the Emperor who Khazunef considers a father figure. Rubien is fiercely intelligent, loyal and wise. He remains dedicated to his work and helping the Emperor rule justly.

Averus

Averus is a high priest and soothsayer of the court. His advice is sought by all and a bad word about you from his lips can sully your reputation and relationships beyond repair.

Consort Iltani

Former consort and favorite of Shah Arzad. Her name is whispered like a curse, and her influence spreads far wide even though the valide has her currently imprisoned within the palace.

This story is for mature audiences, please proceed with discretion! Story will contain violence, drugs, alcohol, death, suicide, infanticide, harm to animals, miscarriages, abuse and sexual themes.

New Demo TBA.

[crazerk]

Sooooo are we actually going to get a new demo at the end of the month... Oh wait it's already the end of month.

It’s the 30th. I’ve been radio silent working on this project in between my full time job, school and life. I love how this comment is phrased like I owe you. Like you pay my bills. Would you like to? If so I can quit my job and write full time all thanks to the generosity of random-anon-too-cowardly-to-criticize-on-their-real-account.

That aside I did give a vague, general deadline based on the work I’d completed at the point of posting the progress update. For context, I need to write three different versions of the prologue, several different branching paths based on choices in each versions in each prologue, all while keeping track of characters, and stats and path specific events. It’s going to take a while. I’m much closer to finishing because I make a point to write every. Single. Day. The word count is already well above 40k. I don’t give hard deadlines because I don’t know myself when everything will come together.

I do understand it’s frustrating to wait for an update and all I can do is give the assurance that things are working on my end. But please do not come into my inbox being a dickhead, thank you. 😊

[crazerk]

She really hates that man 😭

[crazerk]

Great to see you back over here! I'd like to ask, what prompted a possible inclusion of a poly route with Kaz?

Thank you, it’s great to be back!

And that’s a very good, and valid question.

To begin with, I’ve gotten several questions that basically boil down to “will Kaz have a monogamous path?”

When writing an IF that will be read by people with different opinions and tastes, where providing a variation of outcomes and storylines is mandatory, it becomes difficult to balance certain choices with constraints laid out by the setting (which is why this IF is gender locked)

Of course I want readers to enjoy a monogamous path with any RO of their choosing if that’s their preference, but the fact that Mc is a concubine and the story is set in a harem inherently creates a dynamic where the romance paths are limited. It’s either forbidden love or polygamy.

So the conflict for me was, “should I strip away this core aspect of the setting in order to make the story more palatable?” (Of course there’s the whole “it does what it says on the tin” argument. It’s a harem drama for a reason.)

I do want the story to be enjoyable, so the first compromise was making Kaz ambivalent about the harem. Though that did raise some questions like what happens if Mc doesn’t want kids? Why such a dutifully devoted ruler wouldn’t secure the succession?

I also feel like some of the appeal of harem dramas is the scheming and plotting. Wining feels so much better when you put in the work. I enjoyed the Affairs of the court games, which are an inspiration for COTGR, because of the many ways you could scheme and plot, depose rivals, gain allies and manipulate events with a few well placed words and well timed actions.

And that brings us to this compromise, which still has the path where a romance between Mc and Kaz can be monogamous, or not.

Anyway in ACTUAL answer to your question (srry for all the yapping) I wanted to add to the variance to the story and I feel a polyamorous route is more in line with the concept of a harem drama.

[crazerk]

Just a quick question, (which sounds really interesting btw can't wait to read) with the new changes are we still going to be able to romance characters independent of Kaz? Love Kaz but I love the girlies more^^

Yep! All the other routes remain the same. The new paths are just an expansion on the current romance routes available for kazmancers. Although, being poly or not does have interesting implications when romancing the other characters 🤔

[crazerk]

IM SO EXCITED FOR THE UPDATED DEMO hehehe the new characters look so interesting and the new paths for Khaz’s route are crazy interesting (the drama 🔥🔥) defff gobbling this up

Thank you 💕💕💕 Glad you’re excited. Hopefully it meets your expectations 👀

[crazerk]

I have a question about the monogamous and poly paths? Is that gonna depend on our choice or options we take? I just can't see anyone wanting to share Kaz like that lol So it feels to me like a wadte of time writing a whole new path no one will really take.

The paths will depend on your choice. It might come at the beginning of the story when you’re setting your preferences or be actually integrated into the dialogue.

As for the inclusion of the poly path, I can’t say for sure who will or won’t take what path, but I can’t discount the possibility entirely either. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[crazerk]

I'm really excited about these changes! I also love how the added characters fit so well with each origin background. I'm especially curious about what happened to the captive MC's brother. Is Salia an older or younger sibling? (Fingers crossed for older! it would make the sibling dynamic feel a bit less emotionally dependent, haha)

It also looks like the MC's kingdom in the Princess path plays a bigger role now and is embodied through Asina, which I absolutely love! I'm really looking forward to learning more about the Princess' kingdom.

As for Kaz, I honestly don’t mind if he gets involved with others, as long as it fits with the lore and his character, I’m all for it. Mmmm when that moment comes, which path would you recommend as being more in line with the lore and Kaz' personality: poly or monogamous?

Thank you! I’m glad to see that the new characters are well received. I had worried that it would be overwhelming.

MC’s kingdom, (I’ve GOT to give that place a name lol. I don’t want to pick a name that’s culturally isolating though 🤔) plays a big part in the story, as do the inclusion of the path specific characters. Without spoilers, there is essentially a plot or mandate for each mc and the new characters are there in part to facilitate that.

Though MC is the older sibling (sorry 😔) Salia and MC are close in age, just a year apart , so the emotionally dependent aspect isn’t very pronounced. You’ll also find that your little brother has changed very drastically after what happens 👀

As for your question, I don’t think one or the other path is more “canon.” They’re both “canon” as Kaz is still the same character, and his personality is still the same, he just has a different approach to dealing with the harem based on the route you pick.

For example in the monogamous path, his reserved nature and perhaps wariness after witnessing harem politics destroying what family he had leads him to focus his attention solely on Mc. In the poly path, that same reserved nature still exists, but he approaches his duties toward the harem differently, by giving equal attention to multiple consorts but not fully, maintaining the same level of restraint.

Neither approach contradicts his established character, they're simply different expressions of the same person making different choices within his circumstances. That's why both can be equally "canon" or authentic to who Kaz is.

[crazerk]

im curious will this wip be like part dress up game? cause this seems like the kind of wip where during certain events what your mc chooses to wear can be important or effect your rep.

also this is soooooo good can't wait for the update!

I wouldn’t say “part” dress up game (but that would be so fun!) because there won’t be enough fashion related events to justify that, but there will definitely be times in the story where your choice or actions will directly impact your character’s reputation.

(Hint: pay attention to your tea lessons, especially what order to serve it in!)

[crazerk]

Progress Update 4/12

We’re still looking good for an end of month upload! The new demo spends more time with Mc pre-harem instead of a summarized flashback sequence like in the original. The new demo also includes two different versions of the Kaz romance path.

New characters

Ambassador Asina Cara is the representative of Princess Mc’s kingdom on the princess path. If you’ve seen The Tudors, ambassador Chapuys is the inspiration for this character. He is fiercely loyal to his country and by extension, the princess. He is a staunch ally and valuable asset in navigating the politics of the imperial court.

Aslan Khorsandi is a court functionary MC comes into contact with on the noble path. He arranges for noble mc’s arrival to the capital and admittance to the harem, taking the role of a guide and patron. He offers noble mc’s family a foothold by securing a place for her in the harem not out of the kindness of his heart, but his desire for an ally who can get close to the shah.

Salia is the brother of Mc’s on the captive path. His sunny sunny and jovial nature were stripped away by the brutality he witnessed during the raid of his village, the murder of his parents and being separated from his sister when they were sold to different buyers in the capital. His fate is uncertain, but captive Mc knows her brother, her last surviving family member, is still alive and somewhere in chains.

Princess Cirze: Born to Shah Arazd and a serving woman, Cirze is permitted to call herself princess but not allowed to bear the name of the imperial family. As the half-sister of Khazunef she enjoys a very privileged life in court. Her loyalty and service to the Valide, as well as her closeness to young Kaz and the virtual impossibility of inheriting the throne, kept her safe from the Valide’s purge. The sweet natured princess is one of the Valide’s close confidants.

Prince Rhoshan Naram-Shirazi: As the son of Kaz's uncle Parvis, he has royal blood but remains outside the direct line of succession, giving him a unique position from which to scheme. Rhoshan isn't motivated by simple greed or vengeance but by a sincere conviction that the empire would flourish better under his rule than his “foreign” cousin's, a notion planted and nurtured by his mother, Noble Lady Kaadina.

Imperial Princess Rhodalise Naram-Shirazi: Kaz Poly Path only): Rhodalise is the daughter of Khazunef and Yaris on the polyamorous path with Kaz. (more on it below.) She is the only legitimate child of the imperial couple, fiercely protected and spoiled by her mother.

Dowager Princess Eora: Eora the Mad was once Princess Eora, primary wife to Crown Prince Nuren, whom many had expected would one day sit upon the Throne before his untimely and mysterious death. While other imperial widows were forced into temples, strategic remarriages, or simply burned along with their husbands, Eora’s “madness” exempted her from such obligations, and as she posed no threat, executing her would earn unnecessary ill will from the noble families who still remembered when Eora had been the empire’s golden princess. She is sequestered in the harem, a living ghost from an alternate history where Nuren had lived to become Shah and she had ruled as his empress.

Poly and Monogamous path (Kaz romance only)

Polyamorous path: On the poly path, Kaz interacts more with his harem. Though his heart can still be captured in the romantic sense, his attention (and body) is given to more than one person.

Other women will compete for the shah’s attention and can occasionally be chosen over Mc.

Kaz can/will have children with other concubines.

Monogamous path: This path more closely resembles that of the original version where Kaz is avoidant of his harem almost entirely. On this path, Mc is the only companion that Kaz falls in love with and gives any attention to in the romantic or sexual sense.

Attention is solely given to the MC. (to the extent realistically permitted by the plot.)

Kaz will only have children with MC.

Note: None of these changes are final and are subject to change!

[sanguinesky-if]

CoGdemos Important Information

For all authors and readers, if you can't access the game using the link and see this message instead:

It's because CoGdemos has updated the URL format for all games.

The correct link format now is:

https:// cogdemos.ink/play/author/game-title/mygame

Previously, it was "https:// cogdemos.ink/play/author/game-title", without "mygame".

If you are the author: You'll need to update the links for your content, especially for content with closed access, since short URLs only work for public games.

If you are the reader: You can access the game by adding /mygame to the end of the URL if the author hasn't updated the links.

Please spread this information to other authors. I hope this will be helpful!

[crazerk]

I really like what there is so far, particularly the prisoner start. It's very... visceral, in a way I feel isn't often achieved when people write that kind of stuff.

anyway, any estimate on when either the new demo will be up or the old one will be reuploaded?

Wow thank you! I’m glad I was able to convey that. The new version will be more visceral, more detailed and I’m aiming for an upload of the new version by the end of the month. For fans of the captive path you have a brother now. Yeah, sorry for what is about to happen to him.

[crazerk]

We... We meet Kaz, naked in a bath?????????

Well ONE of you is naked 🤭

[crazerk]

I’m alive and so is this IF. I’ve taken something of a hiatus to deal with real world issues and admittedly haven’t felt like writing lately but the story insists on being told so I’m back. In regards to the actual state of the story, I have the old version on my computer but guys… I don’t like it 😭

It feels rushed and empty if that makes sense. We don’t spend time with mc’s parents. We don’t get to see the type of life she has, so how can we understand what she’s lost when it’s taken? Currently I’m rewriting the story from the beginning to rectify these issues. Each path is now more detailed and there are a couple of new characters on each path. Already I like it better.

In any case, I’m hoping, praying, fingers crossed that I have at least the new version up by the end of this month. In any case thanks for sticking around and I hope you’ll like the updated version.

Much love 💕

-C

[crazerk]

Saw this on Pinterest and why is it literally Kaz and mc’s first meeting 😭

[crazerk]

Just found out that dashingdon is shutting down. 💔 (Thanks to everyone that warned me!) While sad, I’m grateful that it existed in the first place and for the efforts of the user that kept it going. I was introduced to so many demos through there and it will thoroughly be missed. (Hopefully there is an archive or something?)

Thankfully I write most of the story in Google docs before transferring it to CSIDE so there isn’t really a huge risk of losing what I’ve already written. The new demo will most likely be uploaded onto cogdemos. I’m glad that an alternative even exists and I think it comes with save slots!

I considered itch.io because I like the aesthetic options but COG introduced me to IFs and the wonderful community that encouraged me to start writing myself so I’m a bleeding heart loyalist. Plus I’m not sure if I want to learn a whole different coding language, this one is killing me as is.

All in all RIP dashingdon.com you were a pillar of the community and I’ll never forget how excited I was to upload my demo 🫡

See you all in the next one!

-C

[nonameonlyflowers-deactivated20]

Dashingdon shutting down

So dashingdon is getting shut down at the end of the month. Everything not backed up/migrating will get deleted.

The alternative to dashingdon is cogdemos.ink

If you know any authors with demos that are dashingdon-only, please let them know.

@elegantunknownphantom @interact-if

[adoriels-tears-if]

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