Isabelle S1E1 : A Diplomat's Daughter

The year is 470 and you are 13 years old.

Your mother doesn't tell you why but she said you and her need to leave Covington and move to Westminster. All she says about it is that it would "make things a lot easier." You're suspicious so you ask her if everything is okay. She says yes. You love Covington, and are conflicted. You've been taking archery and horseback riding. You feel you're destined for something great.

One your way home from school, you stare longingly at the Anatrak. You see a man shouting that a train to Gransylvania station departs in one hour. You have a little more than enough to make the trip. You toy with the idea of living free free on your own.

Do you:

A) Board the train, giving up your old life. Living rebellious and free but leaving your mother alone

B) go home and move to Westminster with your mom

Isabelle goes home, to her front door. She thinks long and hard about leaving a note, but worrying that maybe her mother would see her, she turns around and walks away.

She peeks around the corner, hoping to get a quick glance at her mother one last time before setting off, but doesn't get to. She must be upstairs.

You go to the Anatrak which is situated downtown. You get a good last look at the beautiful city you love so much. You ask the man for a ticket to Gransylvania station, and you hop on.

You're sitting in the train alone, and after only a few minutes, it begins to move. You stare directly out the window, afraid looking at Covington disappear beyond the horizon would make you regret what you just did.

You try to eavesdrop on a nearby conversation.

"Did you hear what happened in New Albatross last night? Apparently three boys snuck into the castle, and stole a bunch of food he had hidden in the basement! They were only, like, 14 years old!"

"What happened to them?"

"Says here they captured one of them.. sent him to the tundra. That's what they do with their prisoners, you know. After the bombings a few years ago, they sent over 30 rebels to the north."

"That's crazy. That country is sinking."

The two gentlemen get off at Kinzington station. The train keeps going for hours and hours, and you finally reach Gransylvania.

You don't know what to do, you're scared. At that moment, a train comes in from the north. A bunch of men in Burgundy formal wear get off, and board a train headed west to Fayette.

You overhear another conversation, Gransylvanians speaking in Lexinais

"Wh- are those Fayettians? Where are they coming from?"

"That's the last of them. Queen Auke's been pulling them out of the Taiga for years now."

"Oh, because of the bombing?"

"That's right. Fayette lost a diplomat, and a whole lot of servicemen that night. They don't want anything to do with Rybak anymore."

"What about that union they were planning up there?"

"Cancelled, or, put on a halt. No idea, really."

You walk away, and realize you have a very important decision to make. You check your pockets, you officially have no more money to take the train anywhere. You're trapped. You ask a stranger where the nearest city is.

"Well little missy the only city in real walkin' distance is a a small one down south called Franque. I guess the biggest city would be Kaarleville in Kosomarque. Nearest city to the north is Charleston, in Gransylvania. You're too young to go there though. Where are your parents? Where are you trying to go?"

You realize that if you tell him wherever you want to go, he might help you get there.

Where do you want to go?

A) North, into Charleston, Gransylvania.

B) South, into Kosomarque

C) East, and take a long train ride to Kaspia.

D) Go back to Covington

E) Go to Kinzington station

F) Take the train all the way east to a village called Albatross Point, in the Kaspian Royals

"I need to get to Charleston, I promised my mom I wouldn't be a day late from visiting my father. But I wasn't counting my money and I completely ran out." You say to the man.

He smiles, and then says:

"That's not a problem, you're young enough. I can get you on the next train to Charleston. Just sit with me for a moment and you'll hop on the next one."

You sit with the man and await the train. The train comes, he speaks to the conductor.

"Okay missy, I'm gonna let you sit up here with the conductor okay? The train ride is about an hour or so, is that fine with you?"

"Yes, monsieur, thank you so much!"

You sit in the main room of the train, and you see the driver, and two other men who help him check if all the doors are closed.

All the men greet you and ask you if you're hungry, you decline, and just sit and listen to them talk.

"Well, our pay went up since the split, huh?"

"Yeah, can't believe Kosomarque did it. We really are living in interesting times, huh? haha!"

"Yeah, who knew Gransylvania would split someday."

"What do you mean? Literally everyone. It was just a matter of when."

"I don't know about them, though. Did you hear that they arrested a 10 year old girl a few days ago somewhere in Kaarleville? What kind of backwards people are they."

"I heard they were really strict. Trying to maintain order in an orderless land I suppose."

After about an hour, you reach Charleston. The seemingly endless thick forests suddenly revealed a giant building on the horizon. One of the men nudges you

"That's the Charleston Parliamentary Building. It's also where their monarch lives. One of the most beautiful buildings in this region of the world, you know!"

You get off the train and look around the city. You're overwhelmed by the activity. Charleston isn't as dense and active as Covington, but it's a lot larger in terms of area.

What do you do first?

A) Try to leave Charleston and go somewhere else.

B) Find something to eat and somewhere you can sleep for a few days

C) Go to the Building of Parliament

You go to the building of parliament. It's a tall building built of wood and stone bricks. You walk inside and approach a woman at the front desk.

What do you ask?

A) For something to eat/ and a place to stay

B) How to get to a particular place

C) Leave the building

She looks at you and smiles, and then laughs. "HOW ADORABLE! You have a Fayettian accent, I hear it I hear it!!"

You are unamused

"You need some food you said, darling? Where is your family? I think I should bring you to your family, right?"

What do you say?

>I don't know where they are I lost them

"You lost your parents? Oh dear... We should probably find them as soon as po-"

a man rushes into the lobby and speaks to the woman.

"We have a problem. Guess what Ivanovich just announced to his people."

"What could it be?"

He leans in to whisper, but you still hear what he says.

"someone stole the constitution"

"the constitution?? who would do that?"

"That's not what matters. That's an act of revolution if I've ever seen one. Whatever we were afraid of, it might happen in the next few years. Ivanovich would never make the first move, but the rebels might."

The lady turns to you "just take a seat over there and I'll help you find your parents when I come back, just a moment!"

Okay you are sitting alone in the lobby

Do you:

A) Wait.

B) Leave

You walk into the streets again. You have all day to figure out what to do. In the vicinity you see a few buildings, and an entrance to a forest.

Do you:

A) Walk to the dirt road

B) Enter a nearby pub

C) Enter a nearby clocktower

Isabelle takes a risk and decides to explore the city's surrounding forest. You keep walking until you see a green tent. Actually, a bunch of green tents.

Do you:

A) Turn back around

B) Go closer

You walk closer and you still hear almost no sounds. You think the camp could be empty. You walk into a tent and see a long row of beds. One of the beds looks different from the rest, much older. It says "Zander" on it. You walk outside, and the moment you do, an arrow is shot between your feet.

You're stunned, terrified. You wait a few moments, and then you hear a man shouting.

"You imbecile, it's a little girl! You almost killed her."

You are approached by a tall man. He is clean shaven, and appears to be in his 40s.

"You seem lost" he says to you sternly.

"You really shouldn't be here."

What do you do?

A) Ask them who they are

B) Leave

The tall slender man in the background walks forward. He has a bow, and was the one who shot at you. He bends down so he is at eye level with you, and slowly he says

"Les. Loups. Froids." (The Cold Wolves)

You know Les Loups Froids, they're one of the two notorious gangs in Charleston. You begin to speak: "Oh, I'm so sorry." You're scared, you're not sure what to say."

The other man, the clean shaven one, stops you.

"Where are your parents?"

"I don't have any parents" You say, firmly.

"Do you want something to eat?"

What do you do?

A) Let them feed you

B) Say you have to go

Isabelle is invited into the tent and is sat down at a table. The same man from earlier, the clean shaven one, plops a pick steak in front of you with a tall glass of water.

He begins to eat.

"YOU KNOW, you remind me of someone I met recently."

You're nervous. "Who could that be"

"I actually just got out of jail. Kind of, well, forced my way out. I missed my wife, I was gone for so long. Anyway, I was in jail doooown south and there was a girl next to me. She was about your age. Isn't that crazy? A little girl, IN PRISON. She was cute, but she would speak at the WORST times. She asked me a question while these guards were beating up a prisoner, and I had to shush her to keep her from getting hurt, and the guard came up to me and threatened me!"

The slender archer chuckles

"He wasn't going to kill the little girl. You should have just kept your mouth shut."

"I'm glad I didn't, because I wouldn't have had the opportunity to kill all three of those guards and escape."

"Did you rescue the little girl?"

"No, she was only there for a week. Stole a basket of food or something. She spoke a lot though. I knew her father. She had a looot of questions."

"How did you know her father?"

"He used to be in that same jail, but they sent him to Rybak to freeze to death in the Tundra."

"Oh, another one, huh? Surprised Gransylvania isn't sending US out there."

"Yeah. I think she realized it too. I tried not to tell her, but the guards just love to see everyone suffer."

"You think they're dead up there? Even that 14 year old boy who was sent there recently?"

"They've been there for too long, no way any of them survived. Who knows though. We've survived worse conditions."

Your steak becomes more and more difficult to chew. You don't like this story.

Do you:

A) Ask about Rybak

B) Ask more about the little girl

"What else can you tell me about that little girl? Sh-she sounds like she's about my age, it's weird that she was in there.."

"I'm sorry I don't know anything else about her. To be honest, I even forgot her name. It was kind of long, and difficult to hear through the walls. Doesn't matter, just another girl who lost a parent to the system."

Do you:

A) Bring up that you also lost a parent

B) Ask him where he was imprisoned

"Where were you imprisoned, anyway?"

"Kosomarque. Why?"

"I was just curious, I don't know."

The man pauses and then continues to peel a fruit.

The slender man looks at you more attentively.

"Are you here to collect information for somebody? Are you a spy, trying to take him back to jail, huh? Did they send you? Heard he got a soft spot for children so they send you?"

"NO- I-, uh I was just curious, I am not a spy, I promise n-no"

"I think it's best you get of here then."

Another voice from inside the tent speaks up

"Yeah let her free so she can tell everyone where we've got our tents set up this week? I don't think so. Keep her here. She's not going anywhere."

What do you do?

A) Ask them not to kill you

B) Ask them to let you go

C) Tell them you want to join them

"Oh, Oh please don't kill me, please don't do that please no-"

they interrupt you.

"We're not going to kill you. We can't let you leave though. You're bonded to us now."

"What do you mean?"

"You said you have no family"

"I- I don't, that's right.." Every time you say that, you remember your mother, so it still feels like a lie.

"We're going to be your family now."

"Charleston isn't exactly a place children should be wandering alone. Maybe you learned that now."