Story, Setting and Character
Story and Narrative
Back story
It is the 15th century and a man by the name of Desmond De Retz is from a family of wealth and power. He takes advantage of this power and starts exploiting his sadistic nature on the surrounding villages engaging in a series of female murders. After some time the villages slowly figure out that he is the source of their despair but because of his power they cannot go through normal methods. Many years passed and nothing is resolved in fact it became worse so the villagers went on a hunt.
Breaking into Desmond’s castle they found him in the act in the basement and in their rage decided to express their anger then and there. Desmond was strung up using his own tools and brutally killed by the town people. During his slow sentencing he never screamed he only laughed and cursed the people that his work is not done. He will never die until he has filled every page in his journal so that he can remember every moment in detail in the afterlife. Upon his death the town folks cleaned out the castle and it sat abandoned for many years, until the memory of Desmond faded. It was then that mysterious stories of the castle seemingly alive every April 29th began to spread. Though with time no one realized that it was the day of his death and he was still attempting to fill his journal.
Plot Elements
TBD
Game Progression
Every level has a cut scene that expands more on the story.
Cut Scene
Level 1: Basement/Dungeon
- Starts in the torture room
- Progresses through the basement until an exit to the main floor is found
Cut Scene
Level 2:
- Starts in the hidden alcove that you found from below
- Progresses through the main level until an exit to the greenhouse is found
Cut Scene
Level 3:
- Starts in the back entrance to the greenhouse. Slowly progressing outside
- Progresses through the greenhouse and garden/forest until an exit to the town is found
Cut Scene for the End if successful
Cut Scene at any time if you die to Desmond
License Considerations
No license considerations at this time.
Cut scene #1 Kidnap of Survivor and Introduction of Desmond
Actors
Survivors
Desmond de Retz
Victim of Desmond
Description
This cut scene shows the player walking up to the castle entrance and upon entering the threshold passes out.
This cut scene also sets up some of the back story to Desmond by illustrating his degradation from power to sadist and finishes with the kidnapping of a victim, in which he strings up in his torture room.
Storyboard
- Current Day/Steampunk
- Approaching the castle as the survivor
- Black out upon entering threshold
- 15th century France
- Distinguished party of Power
- Desmond leaves party after performing his roles/duties
- Traveling home he passes by a farm on his way and spots a woman working in the fields
- Stopping he snatches the woman
- Fast forward to the entrance of the castle, same castle as before
- Then the torture room is shown with the woman screaming and Desmond laughing while strapping her into a strange device.
- End cut scene, start level with survivor in the strange device.
Script
No dialogue in the cut scene, other than Desmond laughing and the woman screaming.
Cut scene will have additional environmental audio from the party, carriage moving through the woods, and entrance to the castle to give depth.
Cut scene #2 Degradation of Desmond
Actors
Desmond de Retz
Victim of Desmond
Description
This cut scene shows Desmond complete resorting to a recluse that is all mottled and on the verge of schizophrenia and end up escalating his murders from the basement to the main floor of the house. The house is in total disarray from his clear mental issues. While he isn’t torturing people in the basement he is using it as a holding area for those that he captures.
Storyboard
- Main floor of the 15th century castle. Completely in disarray.
- Desmond cackling about his journal as he proceeds down to the basement
- In the basement you find the torture room has become a cage and many women are in it
- With much screaming by the women he grabs one and drags them upstairs
- He keeps dragging them up to the hidden alcove
- End cut scene with the survivor exiting from the same alcove
Script
There is constant rambling by Desmond through this scene about his journal.
Desmond: “Another page to add…. Yes another page we will see.”
Desmond: “I require more so satisfy my needs. Another page to see me filled.”
Desmond: “How will we do it this time? Ohh the possibilities, must be special, every page is special.”
Then when the women are being corralled they are generally screaming.
Woman: “NNNNnnnnooooOOO’
Woman: “Stay Away”
Woman: “You monster”
Cut scene #3 Murder of Desmond and his Curse
Actors
Desmond de Retz
Village people
Description
This cut scene shows the villagers finally getting fed up with Desmond’s murderous hunger and decides to put an end to him. Desmond is with a victim figuring out how to torture them completely oblivious to the banging on the doors. The villagers finally gain access only to be abhorred with what they see. In their rage of seeing such brutality and disgusting remains of humans and torture devices they reach out and attack Desmond. Though he doesn’t fight back, he only laughs at them. Clearly no longer mentally there. The villagers string him up in his torture device and proceed to kill him. All the while he is laughing about getting his revenge and filling his journal.
Storyboard
- Main floor of the 15th century castle. Completely in disarray.
- Desmond is standing over a cowering woman deciding his unique methods to perform on her
- The front doors are loudly being banged on but Desmond is completely lost in his thoughts on the girl
- Focus on the door breaking and the villagers coming in
- They see the place and are disgusted
- They enter the main hall were Desmond is standing with the woman
- She screams for help and it enrages the villagers
- Cut to Desmond strung up on one of his torture devices with the villagers around him deciding his fate
- Desmond is laughing and screaming his vengeance on them because his journal has not been filled
- The villagers kill him and bury his body in the back of the greenhouse
- End cut scene looking at a large tree were his body was buried in the greenhouse
Script
There is constant rambling by Desmond through this scene about his journal again.
Woman: “[whimpering] Please don’t do this. Let me go.”
Desmond: “Ohh we will let you go. Soon you will be a story among the pages.”
Desmond: “The question is how do we want this story.”
Desmond: “[incoherent mumbling as he ponders a method of torture]”
Woman: “Please no, no not that”
[Door is banging, villagers can be heard with shouts]
Villager: “Open this door Desmond de Retz, we’ve come to stop this tyranny.”
Villager: “We will not leave until we are satisfied.”
Desmond: “Yes we all want satisfaction don’t we? How this time shall I fill my gullet?”
Woman: [sobs]
[Door breaks open and villagers rush in]
Villager: “What is this?”
Villager: “This is the devils work.”
Villager: “Monster!”
[They enter the main hall and see Desmond]
Woman: “[Seeing them] Please help me. He is going to kill me.”
Villager: “Let her go Desmond de Retz, you will not foul another woman.”
Villager: “Kill him.”
Villager: “Torture him like he did all those girls.”
Villager: “Do to him what he did to my daughter!”
[Villagers rush Desmond knocking him out and grabbing the woman.]
[Desmond wakes on his table]
Desmond: “[cackling] You think this will kill me? Do you?”
Desmond: “My pages are not filled. I cannot die till every page is filled with the sweet stories of my lovers.”
Villager: “You will die tonight Desmond.”
Desmond: “I will never die until my task is completed.”
Desmond: “You cannot kill me, you can’t!!!!”
[Villagers proceed to kill him]
Villager: “Bury him in the greenhouse. Let him stay with this accursed house forever.”
Villager: “He doesn’t deserve a burial. Monsters need to fade to nothing and disapeer.”
[Villagers bury his remains in the greenhouse]
[Player loads in looking at a large disturbingly sickly tree were Desmond’s body was buried.]
Cut scene #4 Escape Alive!
Actors
Desmond de Retz
Survivor
Description
This cut scene is for when a player escapes the house alive and makes their way back to society.
Storyboard
- Forest path leading to the city but clearly the end of the houses territory.
- City in the background. Late at night so can only see the lights.
- Escape and see Desmond standing at the gate in a furious rage.
Script
Desmond: “Come back! The story for you will be magnificent.”
Desmond: “You cannot leave!”
Desmond: “Arg, We will get you yet.”
Cut scene #5 Caught by Desmond
Actors
Desmond de Retz
Survivor
Description
This cut scene is for when a survivor who was not able to get away.
Storyboard
- Somewhere in the house the survivor is sitting in a cage.
- Desmond is rambling about what to do.
- After some thinking he grabs the survivor and pulls them into the dark.
- All you hear is him cackling and the survivor screaming as they are killed.
Script
Desmond: “Now that we’ve caught you. What shall we do?”
Desmond: “What shall we do?”
[Desmond opens the journal and looks at it]
Desmond: “Ohh that is perfect, simply divine.”
Desmond: “Trust me my love you will enjoy this as much as us.”
[Grabs the player and drags them into the dark]
Desmond: “Doesn’t it just feel amazing!”
[Woman screaming]
Desmond: “What a story we will make together my love.”
Game World
General look and feel of world
Two timelines are present in the game at all times but both contain a dark atmosphere due to the time of night and the nature of the house.
Timeline 1: Steampunk
Timeline 2: 21st century
Area #1
Basement/Dungeon
General Description
The basement is only partially explored in the original timelines. Hidden passageways have some original items from the 15th century including some of the torture devices. Each time period has engines and machinery that are consistent with their timeline.
Physical Characteristics
Dark, Dank, Stone and Dirt in some places.
Levels that use area
Level 1 uses this area as the starting level for the game.
Connections to other areas
Upon finishing this level they exit to a hidden alcove that transitions to a cut scene that progresses to Level 2: Main floor.
Area #2
Main Floor
General Description
The main floor is based on the survivors’ timeline but some components of Desmond’s past are leaking through.
Physical Characteristics
Dark, Dank, Stone and wood with vaulted ceiling in many areas. The main floor of the castle is very large so that it can accompany social events. Style and architecture is specific to the survivors’ timeline.
Levels that use area
Level 2 uses this area as then main level of play.
Connections to other areas
Upon finishing this level they exit to greenhouse connected to the back of the kitchen that transitions to a cut scene that progresses to Level 3: Greenhouse/Garden.
Area #3
Greenhouse/Garden
General Description
This area starts partially indoors because of the greenhouse but then progresses to the surrounding grounds.
Physical Characteristics
Outdoor environment that is dark but has the light of the moon that shines through the greenhouse windows. First part of this level is the greenhouse and the escape from it, followed by a garden area that is confined by the landscape and shrubbery. Desmond in this level only spawns from his tree.
Levels that use area
Level 3 uses this area as the ending level for the game.
Connections to other areas
Upon finishing this level they complete the game and the ending cut scene is played.
Characters
Character #1
Desmond De Retz
Back story
It is the 15th century and a man by the name of Desmond De Retz is from a family of wealth and power. After completing a successful career in the military he retires to his mansion in western France were he un-laboriously performs social duties but he is unable to undo some of the horrors from the military. Eventually the isolation and lack of activity leads him to invent his own excitement in the form of kidnapping and murdering women. This eventually devolves into him committing many murders and recording them into a journal. The task of filling the journal becomes his only goal in life and his grasp on reality disappears.
Personality
Schizophrenic, Duty bound, Powerful, Arrogant, Rich
Look
Older gentlemen, early in the game clean cut and established. Slowly his looks become more ragged and wily as his grasp on reality disappears.
Physical characteristics
None
Animations
Attacking, Walking
Special Abilities
Desmond is able to subdue a survivor with enough damage.
Relevance to game story
Desmond is the main Antagonist of the story.
Relationship to other characters
He is the embodiment of the possessed house in which they are currently the owner of.
Statistics
He is a ghost that when the house has acquired enough strength he is able to manifest and attack the players. He has no weapons while manifested but as the house he can cause fear in the players.