Tenebrous

An 18+ IF || Side Project

[tenebrous-if]

LINKS:

🜲 Play the Game

Estimated Release: N/A

🜲 FAQ

🜲 Pinterest

🜲 Character Descriptions

🜲 Family Descriptions

🜲 Map of Arvandor

🜲 Genre(s): Fantasy, Romance, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, and Action/Adventure.

🜲 Rating: Tenebrous is an 18+ Fantasy IF set within the mythical world of Arvandor.

The Kingdom of Aetheria, within the world of Arvandor, is a nation ripe with history. King Lysander du Aetheria rose up and led the fledgling Aetherian Army against The Forsaken One— Herald of the Abyssal Uprising— and came out victorious when everyone else had failed. With his victory, Lysander placed Aetheria as one of the key pillars of keeping Arvandor safe; allowing for peace to reign over the continent for centuries.

Peace, however, was never meant to last.

The Order of Netheron, Followers of The Forsaken One, had captured you at the tender age of fifteen, holding you captive for a decade within a tower only labeled as “The Spire”. All due to their wish of resurrecting their fallen deity— something that they believe could only be accomplished by using the blood of King Lysander’s descendants; it was a ritual that didn’t go as planned— one that did bring back their deity, but only for your eyes and ears only; the both of you attached to the other in a way that probably wasn’t intended.

And that’s how you spent the last decade of your life… Growing used to the presence that now appears whenever the time calls for it. It isn’t until your twenty-fifth year that you’re finally found and taken back to Aetheria, to everything you had long thought you’d lost.

Your time in the sun, however, was short-lived as the tidings of an even darker uprising was beginning to grow— one that threatens to demolish everything and everyone.

Can you figure out how to save your home?

🜲 Create your Aetherian Royal:

Name/Nickname

Gender [Male, Female, or Non-Binary]

Appearance

Hobbies

Personality [Mainly involving unique reactions to certain situations— the MC is semi-set in some ways]

🜲 Romance 1 of 4 potential love interests— each offering their own unique experience within the story and how the world at large will react to the burgeoning relationship.

🜲 Bond with your family after being apart for so long. They have missed you a great deal. [The MC is a middle child.]

🜲 Harness the magic that flows through your veins due to the gift of your blood.

🜲 Choose from a variety of skill sets that your MC may be able to acquire. [Note: This means you can choose something to specialize in, instead of having to constantly choose between being a diplomat or warrior. You can instead choose to be a swordsman while also focusing on the art of diplomacy.]

🜲 Build a codex from the various interactions that you can have throughout your story— from places, to people, to old legends that have tested the passage of time within Arvandor.

Astorian/Astoria du Aerilon: The Heir to Aerilon, and the person that was your betrothed from the time you were seven until your disappearance. Astorian/Astoria spent every winter with you, and you every summer with them, in hopes that a union between the both of you would bring your countries together. You remember many things from that time of your life: their warm laugh, brazen attitude, arrogant smirk, and their inability to stay still for long. Meeting them again? It simply proves how much can change in a decade. [Can choose to have been in an almost relationship with them or still rivals.]

William/Wilhelmina du Arvandor: A recent addition to the Holy Order, who has an iron-clad need to help and be of assistance to anyone that may require it. Being a Paladin has been something they’ve strived towards for the last eight years of their life; training being second to nothing. It’s simply a mere coincidence, or the Divine’s Will, that their first major mission was to rid Arvandor of the last dregs of Netheron… A mission that brought them to The Spire, with a small band of warriors, to carry out that very task— wherein they find the Lost Heir of Aetheria. You.

Gabriel/Gabrielle Adair: Being renowned within the arcane arts, having achieved the rank of High Mage within the Aetherian Institute of Magic, it’s of little surprise that the royal family of Aetheria would call on someone with their skill set— if it weren’t for the scandal that still plagues them. You’re not sure what could have been so bad that would force them to retreat within themself like they have, especially if your parents had seen them fit enough to tutor you, but it’s obviously something that weighs heavily upon them. Will it be possible to wrangle out the secrets of their past when you’re still trying to figure out your own gift?

Ilyran/Ilyria Caelestis: The Forsaken One, an individual that’s visible only to your eyes from a ritual gone wrong. There isn’t much you can glean from them, after all you can only take what they say with a grain of salt, but the shadows that lurk within their eyes has nothing to do with the darkness that now lives within them. It’s hard sometimes to look at what they’ve become when you’ve seen what they were in Old Texts, when they weren’t the Forsaken One, weren’t the Divine’s Disgrace… When they were simply Ilyran/Ilyria Caelestis, High Priest/Priestess of the Holy Order.

[prompt-dealer]

50 Angsty Questions Prompt List

“And that makes it okay?”

“Are you afraid to die?”

“What would you do if I didn’t come back?”

“Do you know what it’s like?”

“Hasn’t this addiction done enough damage already?”

“Why are your eyes so red?”

“How do you think this ends?”

“Why would I ever want to be with you?”

“Is that what you think of me?”

“Do you know what a gunshot wound feels like?”

“How am I supposed to go on?”

“Can’t you see how fucked up this is?”

“If I told you I hate you, what would you do?”

“Should you be drinking that much?”

“What if we just crash this car and make it all stop?”

“Do the drugs still get you high?”

“Am I the reason you cry every night?”

“When did you stop loving me?”

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

“How did things go so wrong?”

“When did things fall apart?”

“Which part of me wasn’t enough?”

“How do I make you love me again?”

“How much does it hurt knowing you lost me?”

“We’re you trying to destroy us?”

“How do you want to die?”

“Is the weight of it all finally too heavy?”

“Are you okay with having blood on your hands?”

“How do you sleep at night?”

“Can you still sleep at night?”

“Is being high all the time worth losing everything?”

“Can you feel the blood draining from your body?”

“Do you know how it feels to wish for death every day?”

“Will you miss me at all?”

“Can I have one last kiss?”

“Do you understand what you’ve done?”

“Is this how you thought your life would be?”

“Did you expect this to turn out better?”

“Can you really blame me?”

“How could you do this?”

“Can you be the one to do it?”

“Does this mean what I think it means?”

“Are you leaving?”

“How do we fix this?”

“Would you hate me?”

“Do you want to die?”

“How many more innocent people have to die?”

“Can you promise me no one else has to get hurt?”

“Are you satisfied now…?”

“Do you even know what love feels like?”

[tenebrous-if]

How would the ROs react if MC prepared a little surprise date for them on their birthday? handmade snacks, cleared their schedule, prepared the gift they wanted for them...

Astorian/Astoria: Spending a day away from court, within the woods, with you by their side? The Divine's Blessing must have shone heavily onto them for that to occur. They'd be beyond grateful that you were willing to do something like that for them -- already planning what they could do for your birthday in return -- but, for that moment in time, they'd simply enjoy spending time with you. Something that they refuse to take for granted again.

William/Wilhelmina: Within the Holy Order birthdays aren't truly celebrated, as part of giving up the bonds that tie initiates to their old life, though there is a celebration for the day that said initiate is fully recognized as a member of the Order. Wil would be so touched that the MC took the time to even learn their birthday and then went out of your way to plan something special for them. Of course, they don't need anything special, they don't need anything except for you by their side.

Gabriel/Gabrielle: How they celebrate their birthday isn't all that different from how they spend their free days, if I'm being honest. A quiet day indoors, simply relaxing in the peace of silence, as the sun falls beneath the horizon and the moon takes its place within the sky. Wherein, only then, they'd emerge to look at the majesty of what the night sky offers to all those that take a moment to look up at its marvelous beauty. (They'd be touched that the MC would be willing to go out of your way in order to spend time with them/do the things that they enjoy doing.)

Ilyran/Ilyria: They don't particularly enjoy their birthday, don't truly see the point in continuously celebrating it. Though that potentially has to do with how old they are now -- birthdays tend to get rather boring/dull after that period of time. For you, however? If you made the effort of trying to celebrate it with them? They wouldn't let their distaste for the day show. Would begrudgingly happily do all of the things that you had planned. If you were anyone else, they would have told you to get lost long ago... Of course, you have always been a special case for them.

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Does A regret those flings when the MC comes back?

I don’t think so. It was way for them to feel something, and I don’t think they’d necessarily regret taking the steps in what they hoped would be the path of healing for them. Though there would be a darker emotion (like shame) twisting in their gut all the same, that’d only surface during the quietest moments of the night. When they’re alone, the only company being their thoughts.

They would regret if the MC learned about them from someone else, however.

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Are MC and Kalyn identical or fraternal?

Fraternal — for the most part anyway. There will be comments if you do happen to choose the same features though (like hair color).

The only thing that’ll be consistently the same for both the MC and Kalyn is that you shared the same eye color from before your powers took hold (before your eyes turned gold and theirs turned crimson).

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Is this still being worked on?

It is! I’ve just been swamped with other things in my personal life as of late so I haven’t truly had the time to actually sit down and write.

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Do you do scenario asks ?

I do 💜

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Does A ever thinks about their future if mc hadn't been kidnapped during the time before mc was found? Are there days that are harder for them to keep the thoughts of mc from influencing them?

Of course. I feel like that’s par for the course for anyone that’s in such a situation.

A has a variety of thoughts on the matter for both routes.

Childhood Sweethearts:

Would you both have finally gotten your shit together?

Would you have actually reciprocated their feelings?

Would you have been married by now?

Would you have children?

What would married life have been like?

Would you both be happy?

Rivals:

Would you have become actual friends? The pettiness of the past fading away?

Would things have shifted if you hadn’t of been forced into the arrangement?

Could it have been possible that it was love all along? Hiding in plain sight?

Just various things that they— at the time— believe they’ll never get the answers to, but A also has that with a lot of other things in their life too. What if their mother were still alive? Would their father be different now?

[tenebrous-if]

Will Mc have any type of trauma from being kidnapped and being gone for so long? Bc I don't imagine that they were treated the best.

The MC wasn’t particularly treated one way or the other, if I’m being honest. Torture wasn’t on the table simply due to the fact that the Abyssum refused to potentially break a useful tool. You were given access to the library, training yard, and kitchens— under heavy supervision, of course. Does that mean everyone was warm/welcoming? Your first guide was an absolute tool (though your current one tries his best to be kind… as kind as one can be in this situation in any case). There are people that can’t stand the sight of you, ignore you, etc, but there are also people (mainly the lower ranking individuals) that aren’t that way… It’s a complex situation filled to the brim with complicated people.

The mark that’s on your left inner wrist is also a big factor on why you weren’t killed outright/seen as useless… As it is Ilyran/Ilyria’s mark. Meaning that the ritual was the right way to go, but something went wrong on the Netheron’s part (something that was punished accordingly). A sad fact about the mark, in all honesty, is that it saved you when it came to the Netheron, but it may prove to cause issues when it comes to the general populace of Arvandor…

After all, you have been marked by the beast.

[tenebrous-if]

Did anyone in both kingdoms royal court recommend Kalyn marry A after MC disappeared ? If so how did both parties respond to the suggestion ?

Yes. It was something that was broached after the third year of the MCs disappearance. Before Kalyn met their current lover and after A had started to take on the mantle of what it truly meant to be the Crown Heir— that sometimes what was best for their country wasn’t what was best for them.

A understood the suggestion, but they were firmly against it. They became icy, more so than they typically are when in court, and made it known it’s not something they’d even ponder. King Daemon accepted this and didn’t even bother trying to advocate for the idea.

Kalyn… Kalyn blew up and it took a long time for people to calm them down (people meaning Isadora and Elarin; as Nyra and Leonidas worked to fix the entire situation on the political level). They were vehemently against the idea— partially because they aren’t some stand-in for the MC, they’re not spare parts to be used when the MC isn’t available, and because they feel like it’s wrong on so many levels (especially with the childhood sweethearts route).

[tenebrous-if]

ok but now I am just imagining Astorian/Astoria with like a huge terrarium in their office/room and whenever someone asks whats it for they are like "its for my worm, MC" like its the most normal thing in the world

There are only a handful of nobles within the court that A actually enjoys talking to— doesn’t feel like rolling their eyes and/or facepalming when hearing them speak— so you can bet that after only a few questions they’d start getting testy. They’re a lot better at hiding their discontent then when they were younger, but it still sometimes gets the best of them.

Would definitely, with a deadpan voice and stare, look at the person asking: “Didn’t you know? Having a pet worm is becoming quite the highlight within higher circles. I’m surprised that someone of your standing hasn’t heard of it.” They cock their head, a smile threatening to make an appearance. “Peculiar, isn’t it?”

*cue a bunch of the nobles within the Aerilon court suddenly getting pet worms once word gets out

[tenebrous-if]

I had a question about the MC’s twin. Is their gender the same as MC, opposite, or player determined?

They’ll be the same (for NB!MCs you’ll get to choose AFAB or AMAB, which will correlate to Kalyn— just wanted to add that in case anyone was curious about how that’d work).

[tenebrous-if]

Like with the ROs can you share pics of the family’s hair color?

Sure 😂

I’m assuming you mean their hair colors?

Queen Nyra:

King Leonidas:

Crown Prince Elarin:

Prince/Princess Kalyn:

Princess Isadora:

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Map of Arvandor

Just thought you all would like an actual visual on the world of Arvandor!

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Want to ask the classic "would you still love me if I was a worm" with the ROs please :D

Astorian/Astoria: Pursing their lips, they simply observe you from their semi-relaxed position next to the hearth, the delicate glow from the fire casting half their face into shadow, obscuring most of their expression from you. “You’d be a worm,” they reiterate, stretching long legs with a soft hum. “I don’t know if I’d love you, MC, not in the sense that I would when you’re human, but I’d make sure you were well taken care of.” Gray eyes glint sharply within golden light. “I’ve already lost you once, I don’t wish to have it happen again.”

William/Wilhelmina: “A worm?” They tilt their head, curls falling across their forehead. It only takes them a moment to fully register the question, and then come up with an answer, but, by the brightening of their grin, you can instantly tell it’s a positive response. “Of course! I’d make you a little spot in my room and protect you from all kinds of creatures that’d try to eat you.”

Gabriel/Gabrielle: Amber eyes narrow in concentration, an expression falling across their face like you had just asked them to describe a complex equation in great detail. “W—” They clear their throat, steepling their fingers on their desk. “Would I be aware that you’re this aforementioned worm, MC?” A frown furrows their delicate brow. “If not, I don’t believe I understand why this question was posed to begin with. Are you of the assumption that I’m attracted to invertebrates?”

Ilyran/Ilyria: An amused chuckle rumbles deep from their chest, obsidian eyes shimmering like untouched glass against the ambient lighting of the room. “A worm, you say?” Sharp canines make a fleeting appearance, an almost feral smile causing them to look more predatory than normal. “I suppose I’d still love you, but only due to the fact that the one that cursed you so would rectify their error and change you back. Or be at risk of dying an excruciatingly bloody death.” They step closer, the darkness around them growing with intensity. “Of course,” they purr. “They’d die either way, but I’d at least not have to make a mess of myself if they decide to cooperate.”

[tenebrous-if]

Does Ily have a different form 👀

Like if the darkness took over or something

They do!

Ilyran/Ilyria, as they stand now, meaning when you see them within the demo, is sort of the middle spot between full darkness and who they were before they took said darkness on— it’s why they still look (somewhat) like they used to.

When they let the darkness fully take control, something they try to refrain from, the obsidian black that’s spread on their hands shoots upward and seemingly drapes down their shoulders (like long fingers grabbing them)— the dark hue of their tattoos transforming to an unsettling red that seems to burn with a raging flame. Their teeth sharpen into points, fingernails turning to claws, horns growing on their forehead, and protective scales dust various points on their body (said scales being the same shade of unsettling red).

The darkness that always seems to lurk around them becomes almost tangible— the air growing thick with the presence of it.

Many liken this form to a bastardized dragon; a normal dragon being the symbol of the Divine. Yet another showing of their disgrace.

[tenebrous-if]

Are you ok with answering scenario asks?

Absolutely! I love answering them. 💙