Author guidance

Seek & Avenge: Come and Write

Inviting you to join the ongoing ‘Choose your own’ story.

Some time ago — September 2022 to be precise — I blogged about a new Choose Your Own story that I had started. It’s called Seek and Avenge, and is written in chapters that are each 100-words long (‘drabbles’).

Check back to the previous update here:

As I mentioned, the story had divided into four main branches, each of which were open to other authors to pick up and run with. And several did!

Now it’s six months on, and I thought that we are well overdue an update on where the story stands. This way, it will be easier for new writers to jump on board without having to read absolutely everything.

In short, I’ll highlight the main branches of the story that are currently needing to be written.

A brief synopsis

First, a very brief synopsis of the overall premise of the story. It’s a high fantasy tale, with magic and monsters. In chapter 1, you (as the main character) return to your village and find that it has been burned by orcs, and your family kidnapped.

In one set of options, you go to a nearby town for help, and in another, you search the ruins, then head to the forest where the orcs live.

Either way, you meet an elf named Dara Blackfeather, who quickly seems like an ally.

Let’s look at where some of the unfinished paths stand from that point…

The moneychanger’s daughter

In one set of options, beginning here, you feel desperate for money to buy weapons for the fight ahead. You mug a stranger in the street, stealing his valuable-looking ring, then head to speak to a moneychanger to sell the loot.

After a tense conversation, and depending on which options you pick, you can end up being asked by the moneychanger to kill the abusive husband of his daughter, Helga. If you do it, the moneychanger promises to help you.

But can you bring yourself to do the deed?

Perhaps a writer can explore what happens after the protagonist enters the house of Helga and her husband. Was the moneychanger telling the truth? Do the authorities arrive and throw you into the cells? Can you find a way to flee town? Or could something else arise from the conversation with Helga?

The mysterious Zaroph

In an adjacent branch, you instead threaten the moneychanger, and find out that your childhood friend, Zaroph the Ranger, has been working with the same orcs that trashed your village. Oof! The moneylender then takes you to meet with the merchant’s guild. What now?

Will the protagonist do some further digging into this conspiracy? Or will their crimes catch up with them? (Remember, this is still the branch where you stole the ring!).

Teaming up

In another branch of the story within the town, instead of stealing the ring, you choose to team up with a lively band of adventurers. These include:

• A blue skinned lizard-warrior named Tox’ar.
• A sorceress by the name of Naya Flameweaver (find out more about her here).
• A green-clad goblin called Polki, who knows the forest.

There is quickly trouble in paradise, however, as the fledgling D&D party can’t decide how best to tackle the orcs. In one sub-branch, you are persuaded to tell the others your reasons for hating the orcs, but you can’t quite decide whether to stay in town and gather some equipment, or to go off without further delay:

What now? There are two obvious branches. If the protagonist splits from the others, you could end up bumping into Dara again, and heading for the forest.

But if you stick together, that could lead to a whole new set of adventures… perhaps eventually leading to the heart of darkness where the orcs are based.

A poisoned wound

In yet another branch, you head more directly towards the forest. After you and Dara Blackfeather fight a small band of orcs near the forest’s edge, you sustain a poisoned wound (via a brilliant set of chapters written by Mojave Green).

Dara takes you to Lorenzo, a practitioner of blood magic, who offers to heal you… for a price.

If you agree, you find yourself in his service for a month. One option (already underway) is to attempt to escape. But what happens if you do as he says…?

This could simply lead to ‘The End’, but perhaps there are other options. Perhaps it could even loop into the same point as one of the branches above. Perhaps Zaroph gets involved, for example.

Warn the villagers

In a more positive outcome, you are able to rest up from your poisoned wound in a cabin inhabited by a former ranger named Bruno, and his dog, Scruff.

Once on the mend, you begin to discuss how best to tackle the orcs. The more direct route has been written, but there is an unfinished parallel branch where you instead to decide to warn some nearby forest villagers before attacking, so that they can get to safety. After a discussion, you head there with Bruno and Dara:

I’ve no idea what could go down with the villagers now! Again, perhaps Zaroph could show up, or Polki. If things do work out, the story could easily loop back into the big forest fight with the orcs, which also features Bruno, Dara and Scruff.

The mysterious family

Perhaps the least developed of the original four branches is the one where the protagonist searches the burned ruins, and then runs off alone, refusing any help from Dara Blackfeather.

In this version, you quickly find yourself wandering alone and lost in the forest.

However, as night falls, you meet a father with a child, sitting by a campfire (in a chapter written by John Fanidis).

Who are these people? Will they help? There are many other places that this chapter could link into from the branches mentioned above, and ways that other parts of the story could link into it!

For example, perhaps the man takes you to the town tavern, offering help. Or maybe he’s a resident of the village that you discussed with Bruno and Scruff.

Does Dara catch up with you, or do you somehow meet up with the trio of adventurers, Tox’ar, Naya Flameweaver and Polki?

It’s entirely up to your imagination!

Many thanks indeed to Mojave Green, Rayne Sanning, P. L. Goaway, John Fanidis (and anyone I accidentally missed) for their contributions to the story so far, and to Sieran Lane for his editing and many engaged comments! I’ve loved collaborating on this tale with you all.

I’d warmly invite Jay C Wells, Bradan Writes Stories and YM Seah to join the fun.

And of course, thank you to everyone who has read and enjoyed ⚔️

🌟You can find more of my fiction here, as well as all of my advice and guidance on creative writing right here. Want stories like this in advance, along with thoughts on the creative process? Check out my Ko-Fi! 🧠