It's mostly quiet out here in your area of expertise. Most people don't wander this far off trail that they can be within the reaches of your solemn tower, and those that do rarely call in more than once.
You're a keeper, a watcher, a protector. You're a forest ranger; the pines are your subjects, the darkness is a nuisance, and the people are merely trespassers that needs guidance that only you can provide.
Day 1.
Morning.
As the sun rises over the distant mountains to the east, you sit up in the barely-comfortable-enough bed you've been bestowed here on your watch,
Some people, upon encountering Thimble at her job for the first time, wonder that such a small creature with so little strength is in charge of the security at the Round. But it soon becomes clear that her advantage lies not in intimidation or physical prowess, but rather in her ability to flit from room to room, peeking in from small holes near the ceiling, while the clients inside, enjoying the pleasures they have come here seeking, are non-the-wiser.
Thimble started her rounds at the end of a curving hallway that ran along the private performance rooms that made up most of the east wing of the Hallowed Round. Each room was themed differently, many were simple bedrooms, but others were set up to cater to a wide variety of fantasies and requests that were commonly made by clients.
Each room had a piece of slate near the door which, when in use, had a series of markings on it. Indesciperable to anyone who didn't work there, the markings would notate the performer and client who were scheduled to use the room, what time it was booked for, and any other notes Murray thought were best to post.
Thimble didn't need to look at the notes to know who was performing in this first room, however, so she didn't bother to look, zipping up near the ceiling to where a small fairy door was placed, disguised by the decorative framework that ran along the top of the wall. She paused briefly to survey the room and, finding only one occupant, flew down to land on top of the writing desk in the corner.
Azune smiled brightly as he looked up from the letter he was writing. "Thimble… how are things going tonight?"
"So far so good… a little slow for Farmers day, but it's been storming on and off so who knows." She looked down at the letter she was standing next to and frowned. "When will your client be here?" She asked, not bothering to hide her wariness.
"He said around dusk, but we're booked until morning, so…"
Thimble whistled. "Big spender, huh?"
Azune laughed. "Murray said his donation was more than adequate to cover the request, don't worry."
Thimble crossed her arms. "It is literally my job to worry, remember?" She sighed. "Look, you know how Hal feels about…." she gestured to the room with a sweeping gesture of a small arm. Of all the bedrooms in the east wing, this was the one furnished to look the most lived in, with bookcases full of carefully selected books, furniture slightly worn, knick-knacks along the tables, even clothes and other personal items in the wardrobe. Everything here, from the art on the walls to the tea set by the sink had been placed here by the man in front of her over the years, and eventually the other performers had just stopped requesting it.
"I know, I know, it's not my room. I have my actual rooms… I had just left my pen here last night and since my client will be here soon anyway it was just easier… you don't have to mention me being here alone to him, okay?" Azune's tone was soft and casual and unworried, but Thimble had known him longer than most, from when she had spotted a too-thin pre-teen boy at the Torn Blanket, and nudged Thjazi. They had been planning to get their two old friends out from the seedy brothel, but neither could leave behind a boy many years too young to sign a contract in a place that sometimes didn't look too closely at such things. There were few things more concerning than Azune trying to be casual.
"I'll tell him what was actually interesting about tonight," Thimble responded with a roll of eyes, a promise that promised nothing as her wings started to move and she flew up and gave his earlobe a little affectionate rub before she was gone, back through the fairy door.
The next few rooms were empty and just needed a quick peek to make sure no one had snuck in. Then came the dungeon room, it looked like she had just missed Teor, they were already cleaning up. Next door Kattigan seemed to be winding down, still handcuffed to a bed but looking blissed out and exchanging kisses with a slender Rungnami woman and a young Dwarfish man. They had a good half hour left, according to the slate by the door, no need to rush them out yet.
She was getting ready to do a quick fly around of the last few speciality rooms, two of which were being prepped for later this evening, when she heard the cheers start at the main stage. It wasn't quite time for main act to start, which meant one thing. Julien.
Quickly she finished up her security sweep of the rooms and headed to the main stage. Her instincts were correct, Julien was just starting up a dance routine. A little dip to the left of the stage and she was able to snack a few bits of popcorn from where Olgud was manning the bar, then up to her little fairy nest.
Her nest was just above one of the main lights, and gave her plenty of room to spread out as well as a view of the whole room. She put the popcorn down on the little table there and sat down crossleged to watch. The room wasn't particularly full yet, but as Julien started to move across the stage, the various patrons started to drift closer to the front of the room.
Thimble had to admit he was lovely to watch, wearing a tight clothes that somehow also allowed fluid movements, the style was one all of his own. It had hints of the grand waltzes the Nobility favoured, with quicker turns and movements that reminded her more of a stylized sparing practice, and when he moved toward either side of the stage, where bars were set in the floor going up toward the ceiling, to grab one and swing himself around, the movements would be come more lewd, closer to what one might see in a certain type of tavern. His whole body would arch against the pole, holding it close and moving against it for a long moment before he was back across the stage again.
No, Julien was very pretty, she did understand that, how he caught the eye of so many people who walked in the door. It was just that he was always….
There he went.
The stage had a line on it, faint but easily seen when you were on it, that performers were not to cross. The Round had two smaller, lower stages, for more intimate performances where the audience could interact more directly. The main stage was supposed to be hands off, both because it was taller and also because of the types of performances that would sometimes occur there. It was a simple rule for everyone's safety.
Julien Davinos, she thought, had never met a rule he wasn't inclined to push at. His dancing took him near the line, over and over, catching this patron's eye or that as the music changed and his body slide to the floor, sliding on his side and arching his back before turning over, reaching out off the stage, touching and inviting touch back, first with teasing brushes of his fingertips and then….
Yeah that wasn't going to work. With a sigh she flew down, knocking on Teor's door. When he opened it she just said 'Julien' and the tall Nama didn't hesitate before heading in. He rarely had to do more than stand there, his presence alone enough to both remind Julien to shift back, and the clients to keep their hands to themselves, and tonight was no different.
That handled, back up to her nest she went to try and enjoy the rest of the show, although it was, of course, merely a prelude to the main event. She had forgotten to check the notes by the bar, it would have been listed there who was performing, but to be fair Thimble didn't have favorites here. Watching big folk together in all the fascinating ways they could arrange themselves was, in her opinion, one of the biggest benefits of working here for Hal.
She still missed Thjaz, of course. How could she not, for how long they had spent in each other's company after his marriage to Lady Aranessa Royce. And watching those two together had been an education all on it's own.
Fortunately for her, a fairy's head was quite small, and it was easy enough for her to push other thoughts in so that those would leave. The sounds from behind the curtain on the stage had stopped, the music come to crescendo, and Julien, now wearing even less than he had when he started, was blowing kisses and heading off the stage… probably to come mingle and see if he could pick up a client for the evening from the small crowd.
Julien was dealt with, for now, her house was in order, and popcorn was at hand. Let the show begin.
What show is Thimble going to watch?
Twin Cats (Teor/Kat)
Wick's Debut (Teor/Wick)
Taming (Hal / Julien)
Be mean... she gets called away
I'm just nosy
Voting ended onJul 14
Requests for dynamics, etc in the comment / reblogs will be considered.
Magic at the Masthead is an LGBTQ+ inclusive tall ships game of adventure, magic, and romance. I've been commissioned to write it by Choice of Games.
You can find out all about it on my WIP forum page, and play the 60K word demo, here.
I made this blog specially for the game. It's going to be copies of my history and worldbuilding newsletter, Wheat Googling, pictures I draw of things from my games, and musings on the characters. Tumblr feels like the right place for RO musings...
Magic at the Masthead
You are the new first lieutenant on the MNS Meredith, a neat, fast little frigate in the Measarrean Navy. Officially, your orders are to get out there and harass the enemy. In fact, Measarrean naval intelligence has tasked you with finding out if there is any truth to the rumours that your enemies, the Oriolenn, have developed a weapon powerful enough to manipulate the fundamental laws of nature. It’s a mission that will take you into the heart of enemy territory, and challenge your crew to the utmost. And if you can find, or even claim, this weapon, what then? Will you allow it to transform the world forever? Claim it for yourself? Or attempt to destroy it?
Play as cis or trans; male (he/him), female (she/her), nonbinary (they/them), agender (e/em), or set your own pronouns; gay, straight, bisexual, asexual and/or aromantic with alternative ‘particular friend’ paths available for platonic intimacy.
Focus on naval prowess and hone your crew into a fighting force that can win any battle - with your tactical genius, of course.
Focus on naval intelligence and gain as much information as possible on the enemy’s plans - while using your skill and guile to sew sedition in their ranks.
Focus on natural philosophy, and become a world expert on magic and all the ways it can - or can’t - be harnessed.
Survive attacks from magical creatures and miasmic magical storms. Build diplomatic relationships with mer people. Build a happy and efficient ship - or let it become lubberly and mutinous.
Use your influence over your fellow officers to shape them into very different possible versions of themselves.
Map of the archipelagic world of the game
You
You are a newly qualified lieutenant in the Measarrean navy. You first went to sea at 14, so this has been your life for a long time. You’re now in your mid twenties, and your new captain has promoted you over the heads of your more senior new colleagues into the role of first lieutenant - second in command of the ship. You’re adept at the major skills needed for a sailor. But in the Measarrean navy, all command officers also have a second specialism, and you chose to be either a ship’s navigator, surgeon, or bard (something between a ship’s counsellor, a master of revels, and a cultural consultant). You also have some unique abilities that got you recruited for this secret mission in the first place.
Main NPCs
The following characters are available for romance, or to become particular friends (depending on how things play out - they might hate you!)
You will also have a high level of influence over the kinds of people they become by the end of the game, and what happens to them. They are all pansexual.
NOTE: I have used they/them/theirs throughout, but all genders are variable as detailed above.
Second Lieutenant (and navigator) Ferhan Ahmet [25, Measarrean Kuz-Kusi]. Dashing, intelligent, ruthless. Beloved by the crew for their daring and tactical innovation, they are also deeply ambitious, far more interested in their own professional progress than the good of the service. They are bold and forthright, and give short shrift to those they consider intellectually beneath them, but they take their responsibility to the people under their command very seriously, sacrificing their safety for their crew’s without a thought, and are passionately loyal to the small group of people they consider friends.
Third Lieutenant (and bard) Celyn Davies [24, White Maesarrean]. Celyn is very observant about things that interest them. Those things are magic, and people. They are a capable officer when they remember to be, but they come alive when engaging with their passions. They’ll spend hours on deck, wrapped in a cloak, studying the patterns of magical light on the surface of the water, or making extensive notes on the magical creatures that sometimes break from its depths. They get completely wrapped up in their intellectual passions, potentially to the extent of neglecting their duties. But they notice people, and are well loved among the crew for their quiet compassion.
Fourth Lieutenant (and Surgeon) Ellis Evans [27, Measarrean Malimbean]. Sweet, earnest, honorable. Tender hearted Ellis never wanted to go to sea, but it was the wish of their two very forceful diplomat parents, and they had no choice. Their true calling is as a doctor, and they are very good at it. They are trusting, tender hearted, and have an unfortunate hatred of violence. They think war is fundamentally A Bad Thing.
Magic (please note that you might have more fun inferring all this from the game than having it laid out for you here)
In this world, magic is a natural force, like the winds, or gravity, or the sun. It can be harnessed, but not controlled. There are three main elements to it. Here is how they are understood by the people of the world:
Magic heals and purifies. If you leave barrels of seawater out on deck, the salt will gradually sink to the bottom, leaving pure drinking water on top. If a person has an autoimmune disorder, their symptoms will be vastly improved at sea, where most of the magic is. If a person is trans, and they wish it, the magic will cause a Sea Change, in which their outer form comes to resemble their inner self.
Magic hates injustice. Try to take a group of people prisoner and transport them across the sea, and your ship’s wooden hull will petrify and break, the sails will molder, the food will spoil. Vengeful magical storms will assault the ship from above, and magical creatures will attack from below. The ship will sink before you’ve gone five miles. Try to invade a nation by sea, and you’d better be stealthy. If your intended victims spot you, the magic of the oceans will rise up in their defence, and your ships will suffer the same fate before they can reach the dock. Try to go to sea with a largely conscripted crew, and you’ll have a very hard time of it.
Magic is especially powerful at sea. All hospitals are on ships for this reason.
As it happens, the people of this pre-technology world have got quite a lot of this wrong. Maybe you’ll find out what’s really going on.
Do you like overthinking? Wordlbuilding? Obsessively managing fictional communities? Then you might enjoy my newsletter!
Content Warnings
This game is set on a tall ship during a war between nations with no technology and limited medical knowledge, so you should expect genre-typical content. The following things can happen:
Death of unnamed members of your crew in battle or through battle or starvation or sickness or accident.
Death of named tertiary characters through some of the above.
Mutilation or injury in battle.
Amputation without anesthetic.
Pre-technology naval medical care generally (blood, gore etc.)
The symptoms of scurvy, which can include old scars opening up.
The MC getting a chronic injury that never fully heals.
Violence with cutlasses, boarding axes and pistols.
Murder.
Drunkenness and alcohol consumption.
Drowning.
Classism.
Things that will not happen:
There will be no…
…transphobia, homophobia, biphobia, racism, sexism, ablism, ageism etc. Prejudice does exist in this world, but it is based around social class. The MC is middle class, so does not come in for this personally.
…sex scenes. There is romance, but everything fades to black beyond the level of heavy petting.
Feedback
I love feedback! I am deliberately putting up this demo very early in the process so the game can benefit from your insights as much as possible.
Please tell me:
What you loved (this really is very useful to know)
What didn’t work for you
Suggestions for changes
Hopes for what will happen later in the story
General comments
Sailing/ships/historical inaccuracies or inconsistencies (it is set in a fantasy world, but the ships are the same)
Anything about gender and sexuality that isn’t sitting right with you (especially if are LGBTQ+ - I am queer myself but obviously we are a diverse bunch!)
Requests for things you would like to see
Bug fixes
Points where you were confused
Spelling mistakes/Britishisms/weird grammar etc.
Genre cliches/suggestions. CYOA is a new passion for me, so please tell me if I am missing cool tricks, or putting in things that are old hat
Literally anything else you can think of. I have been writing for a long time, and I’m used to having maybe a handful of readers pre-release. The idea of an audience that can just literally tell you what they want before you actually finish something is VERY EXCITING!
Links
My Choice of Games WIP page.
If you like worldbuilding and/or history, you might enjoy my new newsletter. It’s called Wheat Googling: speeding up your research one fanatical deep dive at a time. Right now, it’s all background detail for this game, so expect lots of chat about ships and how to blend history with magical worldbuilding.
My website, if you’d like to see what else I get up to.
Episode 11 is donnnnneeeee! Oh my gosh. It took me two weeks and two breaks to plan it all out and write the major points, but that part is done. I want to clarify that I haven’t written any of this out, not fully anyway. I do write bits and pieces of dialogue that will be important and show up in the story, but a full fledged episode I have not written. These updates are, for now, only updates of chapter outlines and story progression. Apologies to those who believed otherwise, if any. That will likely happen (the full-on writing) before we all know it, but time will tell.
But I simply want to say that this one is heavy and that is a repeat of what I said last week, but it’s the truth plus more. It gets deeper. I have a feeling so many of the potential readers/players are going to despise the antagonist in this episode/series overall. I find them deplorable and I’m the one writing them. It’s all part of that character’s journey though. I pray that it will be evident when the full series is out.
Anywho, enough prattling on about that. Next on the agenda is 12A and then 12B. The many variations I have planned and the many ways this story can end, it’s a lot. Some are undecided upon and many are. But yes, guys we’re almost there. My plan is to finish those two portions and then begin writing the PROLOGUE!! We’re right on track to wrap things up with a nice little bow.
One other thing I feel completely comfortable sharing is that this will be a lock in chapter if your MC is romantically involved with an RO. I was on the fence about that, but this feels like the right chapter for such a thing. There will be no pressure for a relationship. The MC will be free to choose whatever they like. Okay. That’s the update for this week. Thank you for being here and thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope to see you all next week for another update. Please stay safe!!
Woo-wee. I got a lot done. I planned and wrote out varying branches for Two Days From Tomorrow yesterday and my goodness this one is a doozy. I can’t believe I’m talking like I’m in my 40s or 50s. That just goes to show how much of an impact it all had on me. NO SPOILERS, but this chapter is a heavy one and I like how it’s going.
I have the two or three endings in mind and in my story notes/files. I can’t wait to potentially share it. We’re getting closer and closer to the demo being released and I’m internally jumping for joy. I won’t put a date on the prospect just yet, but please know that it’s coming. I’m one-third of the way through with Episode 11 and then it’ll be on to both 12A and 12B. Things are wrapping up quite nicely and I couldn’t be happier. This is my first IF project and I’ve just started thinking about beta readers, but I’m not to sure how that process goes or when it should be implemented. I simply know that’ll hopefully be happening at some point in the future.
The branching. The branching. So many variations and things to write. Fingers crossed, this project will be wholly complete in the next three years or so, but I’m not putting an unnecessary time limit or stress on myself. I just know I love what I’m doing and I’m going to keep going as long as I can. Thank you for being here. Please be safe and I hope to see you all this Friday or weekend with another update.
Edit: I forgot to mention I’ve also implemented a few changes or rather decided to modify/add an extra customisation feature or two that will matter in this episode. How much is TBD.
This is a collection of grounded stories set in an otherwise fantastical world of dwarves. We're a traveler wanting to pass through the land of mountains, valleys and hills.
