#rule of three: oleander manor

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She's been waiting for you...

[ruleofthreelunarcrossinggames]

Sometimes, life is out of your grasp, and out of your control.

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Rule of Three is a RPG Maker Horror game! Here's a glimpse at some of the themes I'm hoping to bring to y'all soon!

[exultedshores]

Three weeks into the reign of Empress Emily Drexel Lela Kaldwin I, Royal Spymaster Thomas Oleander Carmine is ready to throw himself off the side of Kaldwin’s Bridge.

The whole government is in shambles after the arrest of Emily’s latest Lord Regent resulted in the ten-year-old monarch abolishing regency altogether and demanding to be governed by a council instead. Parliament deliberated for days about the proper course of action, but with both appointed Lord Regents currently behind bars for crimes against the Crown, they had no choice but to accept their Empress’ suggestion.

The council is to exist of the Prime Minister, the Royal Physician, the Royal Spymaster, the Royal Protector, and the Commander of the City Watch. Emily wasted no time appointing people to the necessary posts, with Lord Treavor Pendleton becoming head of Parliament, Geoff Curnow receiving the well-earned promotion to Commander, and Anton Sokolov and Piero Joplin elected as two halves of one properly functioning physician.

Thomas himself was officially inducted as Her Majesty’s Royal Spymaster some days later, when his heritage as heir to the Carmine family had been established and the evidence he’d produced regarding Farley Havelock’s treachery was deemed authentic. There were no objections, despite his long absence from the limelight. Perhaps Parliament believes his disappearance is testament to his ability to remain in the shadows. Or perhaps they’re just relieved to have a noble take up the position, after low-born Hiram Burrows literally brought the plague to Gristol’s shores.

No Royal Protector has been chosen yet.

That was a conscious decision on Daud’s part, and not an unwise one. Dunwall is still reeling from the plague and the loss of three rulers in just a year’s time, and Emily will need to establish her worth as a leader before she can invite the Knife of Dunwall to join her court without all hell breaking loose.

Until that time, the protection of the Empress is officially the responsibility of the City Watch, and not-so-officially that of the Spymaster’s Office, at Daud’s urging. Thomas hardly ever leaves Emily’s side, and there are Whalers lurking in the shadows whenever the Empress has to leave the Tower. It’s a hefty burden to bear on its own, but combined with the other duties that fall to the Royal Spymaster, Thomas has all but forgotten what the word ‘sleep’ even means.

Not that sleep comes easy to him even when he does have time to rest, not since slicing open Corvo Attano’s neck that fateful day on the gazebo of Dunwall Tower. Thomas dreams of that wretched moment nearly every time he slumbers, of the fact that he’s taken an honourable man’s life when there was no missive calling for it, of what might have happened if he hadn’t done so, Attano’s sword piercing Daud’s back and taking away everything Thomas ever was, is, and will be in the process. By now, he’s seen more death in his dreams than he ever has awake, and he’s been a professional assassin for almost a decade.

Thomas can count the nights he’s properly slept through on one hand, because those were the nights he did not sleep alone, Daud’s presence a constant, comforting sensation that soothed him into a dreamless sleep without fail. Those few nights were his only respite, first at the Hound Pits Pub, sequestered from the other Whalers, and then that one night at Pendleton Manor, resting his head atop Daud’s chest to hear the steady heartbeat of a man who escaped execution, the heartbeat of the man he loves beyond all else, the heartbeat of the man who’d kissed him and called him his partner and promised him they would have time.

Except there is no time for Thomas to do anything but work, and he has barely even caught a glimpse of Daud among the Whalers, now under Thomas’ command. He knows this is how it has to be for now, knows Daud cannot set foot in Dunwall Tower before his official appointment as Royal Protector, but Void, Thomas feels his absence like a physical ache. If only Emily’s rule wasn’t so precarious; if only something would happen to strengthen its foundation.

That something happens on the First Day of the Month of Clans, when Anton Sokolov and Piero Joplin burst into the parliamentary meeting an hour late.

“We have it!” Sokolov exclaims, grinning from ear to ear. “The cure, we found the cure!”

In which Thomas flies too close to the sun.

[lunarcrossingart]

Rule of Three has gone through a lot over the past 11 months, and coming up on it's one year anniversary on June 26!

Getting hyped about this!

[lunarcrossingart]

get funny art for Rule of Three >:3c

[lunarcrossingart]

Old designs vs final designs!!! A lot can change in a year. :) Initially, I thought since it was going to be horror, I needed really drab colors for my game. I kinda stuck myself into the genre box and into the timeframe of the game. Then, my friends reminded me that I can do whatever I wanted to, and I broke out of my little box. :3

[lunarcrossingart]

Hungry parasite.

Rule of Three - Daphnis Oleander

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Audio!

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Love my possessed daughter and her emotional support ghost

Joyride by Kesha

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ghost to ghost communication

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I never finished this study!!! but back when mesmerizer was a meme, I tried to draw Ole and Aphi in the style! :)

[lunarcrossingart]

A normal, human man.

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Sisterhood Sunday 🎉 that wandersong version of the meme is forever burnt into my mind

Credits (links open new windows) Ameno Meme Audio Stain Glass

[lunarcrossingart]

"I need you to bury me, so you do not miss me." / "Me necesitas enterrar para no extrañarme."

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Please correct me if my Spanish is bad. This (Spanish) is my second language.

Por favor, corrígeme si mi español es malo. Este es mi segundo idioma.

I don't really write or speak in Spanish too much being American but I love the word "extrañar". There's no real translation I can think of besides a visceral missing of a person from your insides. The word enterrar here might be a little odd to use but I thought went well with the theme of burying a memory. I do wanna sprinkle some Spanish into the game but all in due time!

I would definitely hire translators for Rule of Three if there's an audience for it. Like without a second thought.

[lunarcrossingart]

RULE OF THREE - Ghost Host

[lunarcrossingart]

I'm posting one more doodle I really liked from my WIP video game 😊

Clarssa and Oleander! A meeting with a ghost!