For this game, I’ll be using the concept outlined in this post .
The gameplay for this story can be found here .
Notes
This is a story of the character Zareth Kael from his embracing his powers to reaching Level 3. I wanted to start the solo game from Level 3 but wanted to document how he came into his powers and how he grew more powerful.
Early Years
Zareth Kael’s story begins not with fire or prophecy, but with silence and mercy. He was left as a baby on the stone steps of a quiet village orphanage, swaddled in darkness and mystery. Sister Mariel, a gentle-hearted nun who believed every soul deserved love, raised him with unwavering kindness—teaching him compassion before the world could teach him fear. Though his eyes glowed a muted yellow, like candlelight behind thick glass, and his shadow sometimes twitched even when he stood still, she never flinched. Among the villagers lived a retired bard, once a seasoned adventurer, who recognized the subtle signs of a deeper, more dangerous origin. He said nothing. Memories of old companions twisting into fear had taught him that suspicion spreads like wildfire. In this small, quiet place, he chose silence—not out of ignorance, but out of hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, the darkness that clung to Zareth would not be his fate.
When Zareth turned nineteen, the whispers in the mirror grew louder, and the weight of unanswered questions pressed heavier on his soul. The village had given him love, shelter, and silence—but not answers. With Sister Mariel’s quiet blessing and the bard’s unspoken farewell, he left the only home he had ever known. He wandered with purpose through winding roads and forgotten ruins, eventually drawn to the sprawling metropolis known as the City of Wonders—a place where magic lit the skies and secrets clung to every alley. There, among scholars, rogues, and those who trafficked in the arcane, he sought the truth of his shadowbound lineage. But even as the Darkness stirred within him, Zareth carried the nun’s kindness like a shield. He vowed, one day, to return—to walk the old stone path back to that quiet orphanage, and let her see who he had become.