Dristential of the Indignant

From Harthorns-Reverie
(Redirected from Etheral Odyssey)

With no memory of who you are and no idea where you truly are, you find yourself swapping back and forth between dreams and reality.

Taking place sometime during the 9th Epoch, the player character, who holds no name, journeys into a hidden village in the Forest where they can choose to help or destroy the inhabitants.

Story

Prologue: Strange Lands

The Prologue doesn't hold any supernatural or fantasy elements, it is simply a bushcraft game which allows the players to immerse themselves in the game. At nightfall players will return to their home and find a man there, Jamie, who'll direct Pete to the nearby village; Redd Deg Selv, where he must meet with the "Premier" as they're in dire need of help.

  • If players don't agree to meet with the Premier and simply go to sleep instead, Jamie will be gone the next morning and no dream sequence will be had, players will simply continue to play out in the bushcraft setting.

After agreeing to go to the village, Pete will wake up in a deserted ghost town, where they can encounter the six personalities in certain locations, these personalities will offer various questions for Pete to answer. He seems to be pulled towards the various locations in which to find the personalities, he may however just decide to go to sleep.

  • Unlike the initial prologue, there are hostile creatures within this town which may kill Pete if he is not careful. This will end the dream and lower Pete's sanity.

First Chapter: A Village

Upon waking up from the prologue, players will find themselves resting in Redd Deg Selv, where they'll be informed they were found on the nearby beach and brought here to heal from grievous wounds. Leaving the caretakers house, the caretaker informs Pete that the Premier is wishing to speak with him, however players can put this off and explore first if they wish.

The Premier will speak to Pete about their culture's prophecy that a foreigner with great power of darkness would come and aid them. After this conversation, the player will be directed to a nearby Boat, where he may take this to help recover lost artifacts that were being stolen by Pete's team which had world shattering capabilities.

  • Players can also just attack the villagers. If they manage to kill all of the villagers, they will unlock an early ending titled "Carnage", where they open the Premier's treasury and unleash several entities which they can command to bring back the treasures the Premier was going to send Pete after. Upon returning, Pete will realize that he has opened a door to another dimension as a monster looks back at him before killing him.

After getting on the boat, Pete will enter another dream sequence where he returns to that mysterious misty town. Once again he must navigate to the various locations and answer six questions.

Second Chapter: Qyrnmerrie Past

Reaching a second island, Pete encounters another group, his military companions who thought him dead as he had been missing for a week after getting thrown overboard. Pete will join his group and resettle into the military life for a small period before he realizes the goal they had was to find the artifact that the Premier had sent him after. This leaves Pete with an option, betray his friends in favor of the Premier, or betray the Premier in favor of his friends.

  • Either choice you make a mysterious voice will mock you and your friends are turned into zombies before attacking you ultimately ending with you having to shatter the artifact.

Returning to the boat, you return to the village, where you inform the Premier of the events that happened. After resting and experiencing a third dream of the town, you are sent to a third and final island to gather the second artifact.

Third Chapter: Whirlpool

While on route to the next island, Pete's boat is struck by a whirlpool and is sunk into an underwater cavern where he encounters all matter of strange fantasy beasts, having to fight and climb his way out of this new area, eventually getting back to the surface where he finds himself in front of the town he had kept dreaming of. Fighting his way through the streets, while hearing a mocking voice in the back of his head, Pete finally meets back with the six personalities, where they ask a final series of questions before informing him of his past.

After answering these questions, Pete enters a door which teleports him to just in front of the artifact, where he may either take it or shatter it. If he takes it, he is attacked by various creatures until he gets back to the boat, where as if he smashes it, he returns safely.

Fourth Chapter:

Heading for the third and final artifact,

Quinn tells Pete that he has to kill Teresa, Teresa tells Pete that it's okay to rest, Jamie insists that Pete needs to rush back for the village, and Norman informs Pete that he has powers beyond his own belief and tells him a phrase to whisper next time he is in the village, within the treasury. Sam tells Pete that she knows a place to hide, and Scotty tells Pete that he has to run away to save himself.

  • If Pete kills Teresa, he wakes back up in the village, where he discovers he had already returned with the third artifact. He begins fighting the monsters that attack until he dies with the rest of the village.
  • If Pete takes Teresa's hand and rests, he wakes up to discover that he had already returned with the third artifact. He can do nothing as he is attacked and killed by one of the monsters.
  • If Pete rushes back for the village, he discovers he had already brought back the third artifact and initiates a fight with the only boss of the game, where he kills it and becomes the village's hero.
  • If Pete listens to the phrase, he discovers he had already brought back the third artifact and is in this treasery, where he states this before taking command of an army of the undead who attack both monsters and villagers, after killing the boss, he takes the Premier's seat and becomes the new Premier.
  • If Pete hides with Sam, Pete discovers he had already brought back the third artifact and hides under the bed as sounds of terror fills the land, the village is wiped out and he walks amongst the decay later, only to leave the island on the small boat.
  • If Pete runs now, he doesn't return to the village and instead stays in the town, where he must _.
First Act Endings
Left Path Right
The Acceptance Lay down and accept punishment for your horrid actions. Teresa Monster Quinn Suicide by Fighting an endless wave of monsters. The Sacrifice
The Pure Protect the village and become it's greatest warrior. Jamie Village Norman Raise the dead and become the new Premier. The God/The Eldritch
The Trapped Take Sam and run away. Sam Self Scotty Run away on your own. The Dreamed Reality
Left Path Right

Fifth Chapter: Aurora Convergence

After making a choice, Pete returns to the village, where consequences play out.

A final fifth chapter is playable depending on the choice player's made.

Third Act Endings
Just Dreams Alternate Dimension
Pete believes his delusions and think that his dreams are an alternate reality as he "knows" he can affect reality as the beings from his dreams do. The Dreamed Reality The Sacrifice Pete learns from the entities that the dream world is an alternate reality, and he has become a tether from his world to this new plane, and breaks the link. Closing off the bridge. Staying in the dream reality, as Pete sacrifices himself to "save the world", keeping the monsters at bay.
Pete realizes that the character he's been talking to through the game aren't actual characters but his personalities as he accepts this and becomes one with them, becoming his "true" self. The Acceptance The God Similar to Right 1, you learn you're the tether, but instead of breaking the link, Pete decides to side with the dream, and call the entities on their bullshit, keeping the gateway open and abusing the power of the dream world, gaining abilities in both, the dream world, and our reality, becoming a god like being. Never die and answer all dream questions.
Pete gets so lost in his dreams that he kind of gets "trapped" in them, getting inceptioned as he goes to the lowest layer. The Trapped The Eldritch Similar to Right 1, you learn you're the tether, but instead of breaking the link, Pete decides to side with the dream, and willingly or unknowingly allow the absorption of our reality from the dream world. Either the entities deceiving you, or you willingly accept this. Die in every dream sequence.
The other personas are destroyed as Pete is able to take center stage as he becomes his "true" self, without all of the mental problems. The Pure The Discovery There might be a "sanity" stat, and if it's too low by the end of the game, Pete goes mad as he gets lost in the dream world, discovering it to be an alternate world.

Gameplay

Death

There are two types of Death that players may encounter; Dream Death vs Waking Death. A Waking Death will simply push Pete back to the last checkpoint, while a Dream Death will lower Pete's sanity, eventually leading to The Eldritch ending.