The Gilded

Demo v1.2

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What is this?

The Gilded is a Work-in-Progress Interactive Fiction game. The Gilded is also a dark fantasy adventure game, and will include some horror elements that may not be suitable for all audiences.

Who am I?

You are whoever you want to be, but your story starts when you come home from college on winter break. The rest of your story is waiting to be told.

So far...

Your younger brother, Leo, went missing three days ago. Your parents called the police, and they started investigating quickly. They were too late. Leo had already disappeared into the deepest part of the forest, where the mortals have vowed never to return. The police have offered to contact your family if Leo crosses the barrier back to the mortal side, but their investigation can’t go any further without inviting the wrath of the Fae.

The winter solstice is approaching fast, which means that the High Fae are likely gathering mortal children for their great feast. The only way to get your brother back is to follow him into the forest and steal him back from the palace of the High Fae… If you can get there in one piece. The Fae forest is full of tricksters and killers, and you'll likely need some allies to help get you both back home.

Features:

• A customizable main character. Choose your gender, name, appearance, skills, and more.
• Stat building. Choose starting stats, and improve your skills throughout the game for fights and problem solving.
• Romance. Optional romance with 4 possible companions. Choose their genders according to your preference, or select a random array.
• Relationships. Improve or destroy relationships with the characters you meet, and check your relationships on your stats sheet.
• Choose your route. Decide which path to take, which door to open, and which item to steal. Every playthrough can be unique.
• Multiple endings. Your choices will lead to one of several endings, each with sub-variations that cater to your choices.
• A secret. You always thought something wasn't quite right, and maybe you'll finally find out why.

Romanceable Characters:

• Ayre (M/F/NB) - Ever aloof and sharply dressed, you suspect that Ayre must be one of the High Fae, but they’re missing some of the animal features you would expect on one of their kind. Charming when it suits them and cool when it doesn’t, Ayre’s interest in actually helping you seems out of character from what little you know of them. Can you really trust them without knowing their motivations?
• Romance: Emotional Trauma, Slow Burn

• Jolenn (M/F) - The fun-loving opposite to their best friend, Ayre… and a Faun with furry legs and curling horns to boot. You don’t really understand how they got to be friends, but maybe it has something to do with how happily Jolenn heaps attention and affection on anyone willing to talk to them. Jolenn is happy to follow Ayre anywhere, even if that means marching straight to the castle of the High Fae on little more than a hunch.
• Romance: Strangers to Friends to Lovers

• Nex (M/F) - Possibly the creature of your nightmares, Nex is a Kelpie: a shapeshifting aquatic Fae that sometimes takes the form of a horse, especially for the purpose of killing and eating humans. At first “bite”, Nex is deeply unhappy to be asked to help… and even more unhappy to be coerced into it. They seem to hate you just for being human, but there must be some way to break through their guard.
• Romance: Enemies-ish to Lovers, Work for It

• Wren (M/F/NB) - A Dryad and pillar of the local Fae community, Wren controls virtually all products and information that cross the forest’s borders. While they have a friendly face for everyone else (even Nex) Wren seems to hold you politely at arm’s length. You’re sure they don’t agree to help you just to be nice, but they’re keeping their motivation as private as Ayre’s.
• Romance: Unexpected Feelings, [Redacted] to Lovers

Current Release: Demo v1.2

• Includes Prologue and Chapter 1 - Approx. 70k words