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awlimagines · 3 months

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The Chime Hours of Forgotten Valley

Surrounded by nature, Forgotten Valley enjoyed peaceful tranquility without interference from the Caldwell Foundation or the Fae and their wars. However, the valley's residents have faced hardship as the lands produced less and the wilderness grew unchecked in the past ten years. After an incident in the mountains, the town’s mayor called for help from the Caldwell Foundation, while local fae reached out to their leader for assistance. Choose to play as newly appointed hunter Pony Hopkins or Claire Lyndall, a chime child loved by the fae as you care for crops and livestock and explore the mysteries of Forgotten Valley and its residents.

MAIN CHARACTER PATHS

Pony Hopkins decides to follow as a talented Hunter in her father’s footsteps. As a fresh graduate of the Caldwell Foundation, Pony is charged with an uncover assignment to blend into the community and search for fae poisoning the land and endangering the lives of citizens. Pony never expects her path to lead to her father’s hometown. She finds a place to call home with an old friend of her father. Pony juggles trying to restore the farm and completing her mission.

Claire Lyndall left her hometown in search of freedom and a fresh start. She didn’t realize how much money such a thing cost. Luckily, the decline of the land over the years opened some farmland in Forgotten Valley. The Mayor was willing to give her the land for the meager change in her pocket, thrilled to have a new townsmember. Claire is barely settled when Harvest Sprites approach her for help reviving the land’s Harvest Goddess and restoring the safety of the local fae.

ROUTES

Once an excellent Hunter at the top of his game, Matthew was poisoned by a catoblepas in his prime. His breathing has been sorely affected, regulating the man into a supervisory role. Matthew’s harsh exterior hides the worry and care for his subordinates and citizens. He becomes conflicted in the Apprentice Path over sending you to increasingly dangerous situations without feeling he can adequately protect you. While in the Chime Child Path, Matthew faces a conflict of faith in realizing everything he was led to believe is not as it seems.

The senior hunter assigned to the area, Gordy Scherer, works directly beneath the area’s supervisor. Due to his silent nature, Gordy’s accomplishments have mostly flown under the radar. No one is sure how he accomplishes his work, but no area he has been stationed has any fae remaining when he leaves. As he opens up, one discovers his passion for art. You learn his secret to complete his missions in the Apprentice Path. While in the Chime Child Path, Gordy can be persuaded to work against the Caldwell Foundation.

While Daryl Bowditch works for the Caldwell Foundation, he only does so for the funding to pursue his studies of the fae. The scientist is vocal about his displeasure with the state of fae delivered to his lab. His independent attempts to capture live specimens have all failed. The Apprentice Path focuses on Daryl persuading you to capture live fae for study rather than extermination. In contrast, the Chime Child Path follows Daryl’s experiments, interest in your abilities, and encouragement to introduce him to new subjects.

Gray Corwin completed the primary classes offered at the Caldwell Academy before apprenticing as a blacksmith with his grandfather. Due to the increased number of hunters in Forgotten Valley, the forge has accepted a temporary partnership with the Cadlwell Foundation to provide them with new tools and weapons in addition to maintenance. While Gray is grateful for the increase in work, he wishes to pursue making his projects rather than the same things every day. In the Apprentice Path, you encourage Gray to explore his interests and help test his accessories and tools. Meanwhile, in the Chime Child Path, Gray is eager to learn how the fae makes accessories and how they can be adapted for human use.

Rick de Lancre is a new graduate of the Caldwell Foundation, where he was at the top of the class each year. He won’t let you or anyone else forget his position. His time in Forgotten Valley is a stepping stone before moving to greater things. As you work together in the field, you see his mask slip as he questions his capabilities and the pressures on him to be the best. In the Apprentice Path, Rick bonds with you over the burdens of being raised in a hunter family. The Chime Child Path finds Rick struggling between his duty and heart in accepting someone he has been taught to hate.

Living on your own without your parent’s guidance and help is tougher than you thought. Thankfully, the talented musician Gustafa Anderson is willing to help you. The older man is experienced in living independently and being the new person in a town. Though not a fae, as a chime child, Gustafa is intrinsically linked to them and enjoys their company. In the Chime Child Path, Gustafa is on your side from day one when he finds you conversing with the sprites. He helps you learn to use your abilities without revealing yourself and introduces you to the local fae. Conversely, in the Apprentice Path, once Gustafa trusts you, he shares about Chime Children, humans who are friends with the fae and share ties with them, gently encouraging you to expand your beliefs of right and wrong.

Rock Lei, son of the Lei-Over Inn’s keepers, is an open book. He is often found shooting his shot with anyone willing to give him the time of day. Rock claims you’re the real prize he’d like to win, and everyone else is a Plan B. As you grow closer, you learn that while he’s willing to share and be honest about his past. The fae replaced Tei and Lou’s child with Rock at the age of four. He views the couple as his parents, and they never treat him as less, so Rock doesn’t believe in acknowledging the specifics. Rock overcomes his dislike of the fae enough to help revive the Harvest Queen in the Chime Child Path. In the Apprentice Path, he assists you in protecting his parents from accusations of being fae.

Doctor is cold and clinical in his dealings with everyone in town. His strict professionalism leaves you questioning if his nurse even knows his name. It isn’t until you grow closer that you realize Doctor Trent Petrarch cares very deeply for the safety and health of the town’s residents. While he is immensely talented and trained as a doctor, Trent has the assistance of his abilities as a unicorn to heal terminal illnesses or injuries for more complex cases. Trent helps you purify the spring to revive the Harvest Goddess in the Chime Child Path, while in the Apprentice Path, he finds himself in danger with the Caldwell Foundation.

Throughout the Spring, you wondered what the abandoned shack at the beach could be. The mystery is solved when Kai Gessner suddenly appears in the Summer, serving food from the building. His dashing smile and confidence cause your heart to skip a beat, but then he has that effect on all his targets. You arrive late one evening to deliver fresh produce, catching Kai swimming in the ocean. Nothing would be odd about that except for the glittering scaled tail replacing his legs. Kai encounters trouble being lured and caught by hunters who wish to display him in the Chime Child Path. In the Apprentice Path, Kai is framed as having sunk ships trying to reach Forgotten Valley.

You’re shocked to recognize a familiar face in town. Cliff Fee was a friend you never thought to see again. The two of you played together daily until he disappeared from town around the age of twelve. Your friendship can pick up where it left off with you confiding your troubles to him. He initially offers you his support unconditionally but begins to pull back, becoming withdrawn. You soon learn Cliff is the heir to the Fae Throne when he confesses the secret after feeling terrible keeping it from you. Cliff has to choose between assuming responsibility for the local fae or fleeing town once more to protect himself in the Chime Child Path. In the Apprentice Path, Cliff faces conflicts over his love for you and the dangers being close to you poses him.

SECRET ROUTES

Your Enemy, Your Friend (Pony/Claire Route)

You find that you keep bumping into the town’s other newcomer constantly. Considering how close your accommodations are, it shouldn’t be a surprise, but it’s happening everywhere, including outside of town. You begin growing closer, discovering that you share similar histories and recent losses. Then, your companionship is shattered as you learn they’re everything you’re fighting against. Can you find common ground with them, or will your duty win out?

A Grim Affair

The work is more challenging than expected, and everyone wants something from you. You find refuge in the church and the kindly priest who tends to it. As you spend more time at the church, Pastor Carter asks you to assist in helping residents. A mishap leads you to discover the pastor keeps a sinister secret.

NOTES

I'm sorry it's so much, but I was consumed by the thought once I made it. I imagine (with my zero experience in making games) it would play mainly like a regular HM/SoS, with the heart events being replaced by plot-relevant interactions/encounters based on whether you play Pony or Claire. I have ideas for bad/good endings for each route, and some details about how a couple different routes would work. If anyone is interested in the idea, I might create a poll and start work on writing out interactions/encounters and the endings.

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