Astriel
Narrative Exercise
Overview
For this exercise, I was given the first 10 levels of the plot and was asked to write a summary of the next 10. It was for a Genshin Impact mobile ARPG-style video game, where the player owned a multitude of characters that they could use for each quest.
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Based on the provided levels, I deduced that each level needed to have about 2 minor encounters or 1 major one. In addition to this, because of the nature of the switchable adventurers, I couldn't rely on any of them for an emotional anchor to the story.
After realizing these requirements, my strategy was first to figure out what my first and last levels were. I didn't need to know every detail, just enough to know where I wanted to end things as I find that everything is easier to plan out once I know where I'm going.
Then, I plotted each level so that it reveals something about the world or its inhabitants. To get the player invested, I've decided to focus on the NPC characters, especially the antagonists, because they were a static element the player couldn't change, and give them a character arc or conflicts to get the player invested in the story. I tried using existing elements as much as possible to save on the production budget.
Levels
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Level 1 - 10 Summary
The Guild goes into Yavanna’s domain in search of the Shard of Creation. Once there, they discover that the wildlings are harassing the villagers living near the forest, and their shaman, Vork, has the Shard. In addition to this, a void cult is operating in the area, and they are also after the shard.
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The Adventurers find Vork's encampment and witness him communicating with his superior, Brolg, about their grand plan. A fight breaks out where void tears open, and corrupted wildlings come out of them and attack. Vork escapes to his lair.
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They follow Vork to his lair and win their fight, but they are too late, as Brolg already has the shard. With Vork as their prisoner, they continue on their journey.
Level 11 - 20 Summary
The Guild ventures deeper into the woods in search of the Shard and faces a gang of angry wildlings, saving Indago Von Plum in the process. Indago agrees to help them in exchange for protection during his research. They confront void-touched wildlings corrupting others in Vork's village, where they learn of Brolg 's sinister plot to build an army using Yavanna's offspring trees.
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After several battles and trials, they race to protect the remaining trees, facing off against Volki, Vork's sister and Brolg 's ally. In the final confrontation, they defeat Brolg. But as a final act, he poisons Yavanna with the void. The Guild will have to save the Eternal before it’s too late.
Level 11 - Indago Von Plum
The Guild goes deeper into the woods in search of the Shard while trying to convince Vork to tell them where Brolg is. They stumble upon Indago Von Plum, who screams for their help as he runs away from a gang of angry wildlings. The Adventurers intervene and save him.
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Indago thanks the player and goes on a rant complaining about the sudden rudeness of the wildlings, which the Adventurers interrupt to ask him about the shard. Indago agrees to help on the condition the players guard him on the way to the heart of the forest so that he may continue his research.
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He leads them to the Oak Gate and lets them fight its guardian while he shouts unhelpful advice. The players beat the boss and continue their journey into the forest.
Level 12 - Village in Flame
The Guild follows Indago through the woods until they see smoke and fire coming from a wildling village. Vork asks that they go there, as this is his village. Indago advises against it because it's the village of the wildlings who chased him off.
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Despite the warning, they go to the village and see that void-touched wildlings are corrupting wildlings against their will with strange staves. Urak asks them to intervene, and they do.
After the battle, the villagers say Brolg came a few days ago and took Volki, Urak's sister, with him before summoning these corrupt wildlings.
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Urak is horrified because the staves they used were made from the offspring of Yavanna herself, the All-Mother Trees. Brolg has been corrupting them so that his followers can create an army. Urak offers to show them to the closest offspring, and Indago demands that they go there next.
Level 13 - The All-Mother Tree
Upon reaching an All-Mother Tree, Vork shares the story of his sister with the group. They arrive and find that the corrupt wildlings have already defiled the tree and established a camp nearby. After a fierce battle, they discover tracks leading to ancient ruins.
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As they prepare to depart, the remains of Yavanna's tree spring to life. Corrupted by the void, it attacks. To continue their quest, the Adventurers must vanquish the entity.
Level 14 - Ancient Ruins
Our Adventurers fight void-touched wolves until they arrive at the ruins. Vork and Indago argue about wildling history. Vork claims the wildling’s ancestors built this ruin, while Indago claims it was the fea.
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They arrive at the opening of the ruins, but the door is closed. Indago is very excited about it but Claims that the door has been broken for ages. It’s an ambush, and the group is attacked. The player must hold off waves of enemies while Vork and Indago set their differences aside to open the door.
Level 15 - Carvings of Wolves
Inside the ruins, The Guild finds old carvings that describe the relationship between the wildlings and the fea. But their exploration is interrupted by wildlings who set some wolves at them, trying to prevent them from going further inside. The Adventurers beat the wolves and advance.
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The wildlings then unleash the void-touched she-wolf. But even she is unable to stop the heroes. They move towards the wildling’s secret.
Level 16 - Rifts in the Dark
Deeper inside the ruins, the Adventurers discover Clay More. He was kidnapped by the wildlings (again) and forced to create weapons for Brolg 's army. They turned these ruins into a forge for that purpose.
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After the Adventurers kill the void-touched wildlings and free Clay More, he guides them deeper inside the ruins. There, they find Brolg and Vork's sister Volki. With the help of the shard, they are putting the essence of the void in the All-Mother Staves.
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Brolg tells them they are too late. He has all the soldiers he needs. Volki claims Brolg's methods are harsh but necessary. Brolg opens void rifts, and corrupt wildlings pour out of them. Both Brolg and Volki disappear inside one of the rifts as the Adventurers fight the corrupt wildlings.
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The group deduces that Brolg plans to use the Shard to steal Yavanna’s power. But first, he would need to corrupt all 3 of Yavanna’s trees. With one down, there are two left.
Level 17 - Yavanna’s Compassion
Zerestia suggests they use Vork's connection to the Yavanna to protect the next All-Mother Trees. But they must get an artifact called Yavanna’s Compassion to amplify it. Vorksays they have no chance because nobody has taken the artifact out of its temple since before the Night of Fallen Skies.
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They fight their way to the Temple of Compassion. Once inside, they ask for Yavanna’s Compassion. At first, the Shaman refuses, but after Vorkexplains the situation, he agrees on one condition, that the Adventurers go on through the temple trials:
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Trial of the body - fight 3 waves of enemies
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Trial of the mind - solve a puzzle
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Trial of the heart - fight empowered version of themselves
They complete the trials and earn the right to use Yavanna’s compassion.
Level 18 - Ulki’s Influence
Vork and Indago guide the Adventurers toward the first tree. But they are too late. The tree is already gone. They are attacked by void-touched wildlings.
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Our Adventurers follow the tree’s trail and see it attacking a wildling village. The Adventurers intervene and save the settlement. Vork claims he can feel Volki’s magical signature on the tree. It was she who corrupted it. Our Adventurers must now race to the last tree before Volki can corrupt that one, too.
Level 19 - The Last Tree
The Adventurers arrive at the location of the final tree and see Volki already corrupting it. She opens void rifts to prevent the Adventurers from interfering. The Adventurers must fight the corrupt wildlings while defending Yavanna’s Compassion as Vork, Indago, and Zerestia work together to shield the tree from Volki’s Influence.
When they succeed, Volki attacks them to claim Yavanna’s Compassion and reverse the protection on the tree. But the players beat her, too. She becomes enraged and tries to use the power in her staff to empower herself with the void, but it backfires and turns her into ash.
Vork is sad but determined to bring Brolg to justice and defend Terranna. The group continues toward Yavanna herself and their final confrontation with Brolg.
Level 20 - Abomination
The Adventurers fight their way to Yavanna’s roots. There, they see Brolg opening a path inside Yavanna. They attack, and a two-phase boss battle begins:
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Phase one - They fight normal Brolg
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Phase two - Brolg corrupts the Shard of Creation and merges with it, becoming a void abomination.
When Brolg loses the battle, he merges the corrupted Shard with Yavanna, poisoning her. Our Adventurers must now race against time and save the Eternal before it’s too late.