All Souls Day

Welcome to Sevurn City, a gritty metropolis that never sleeps and whose smog-smothered, neon-lit boroughs hide the newest incarnation of an age-old battle between the mundane and magic. At its center is Arden Miles, a twenty-something, two-feet-on-the-ground type who lives in self-imposed exile from their eccentric family and ascribes to the creed of “work hard, eat cheap, sleep deep, repeat.” But when a series of apparently random murders start to haunt Arden’s every footstep, they will have to decide whether to and how to embrace an ancient family secret or risk all of humanity to an invasion of the Dead—and the Necromancer who harvests souls from the Veil. The real problem? Arden only has until November 2nd to make a difference. Investigate the seedy underbelly and shadowy alleys of Sevurn City as Arden Miles, choosing both your allies and destiny along the way. But remember, every choice has consequences, and the clock is ticking...

This quasi-first person player game combines the ambiance of classic noir with the intrigue of urban paranormal fantasy. At its center, the plot is simple: choose your path– investigate the murder mystery (or don’t), learn magic (or don’t)–and save the world from an invasion of restless spirits unleashed from the Veil (or don’t). The choices you make and the allies you choose determine the outcome available to you.

Endings:

1. Possibility 1 – That’s Not My Job: Sevurn City needs a hero, and Arden is it. That’s not particularly fair, since Arden wants nothing more than a normal life and maybe a little attention from their dreamboat of a co-worker. Arden has nothing to do with their family anymore, and they’re not behind the murders stalking the city. It’s perfectly within their rights to cooperate with the police and walk away, but if they do, the Veil will rend on November 2 and flood Sevurn City with a host of restless spirits. This ending is the outcome if Arden sticks with the path of the mundane.
2. Possibility 2 – Someone Has to Do It: Choose to investigate the murder and Arden’s history and accept an ancient calling in the process. Learn magic and track down the menace behind all the deaths in Sevurn City. If you find the killer(s) and stop them before November 2, you’ll save the world. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it; cleaning up is a worry for after the battle. This ending is the result if Arden chooses a path of natural magic, and Arden’s strength in their craft will determine how successful their venture is.
3. Possibility 3 – If Not Me, Then Who?: A job worth doing should be done right. Have Arden adopt a no-holds-barred approach to solving the mystery and stopping the mysterious Necromancer. While they’re at it, make sure no one else can ever steal their power for nefarious purposes. But at what cost? This ending is the outcome if Arden chooses a path of soul magic, and Arden’s strength will directly impact the consequences.

Some endings and/or their variations in outcome leave room for sequels with different paths in destiny and development for Arden (and a potential team) to explore.

World History:

To most, Sevurn City is the standard evolution of a city founded in the 1600s by European settlers that expanded rapidly around 1790, with an influx of immigrants hailing from nearby port cities. Fast forward a few centuries, and Sevurn City is a center of industry and a model of the American melting pot at its finest. Cathedrals, shops, tenements, and conglomerates of all shapes and sizes crowd together within a maze of speakeasies, backrooms, alleys, and endless possibilities. Hidden in plain sight is an entire concealed community with magic and knowledge that hails all the way back to the druids, one that has a history that runs parallel to many of mankind’s biggest moments.

Lore Summary:
There are three branches of lore to be discovered in the game: (1) Arden’s history, (2) the history of magic, and (3) the lore of the mystery.

• Arden’s History – Found in scattered calendar notes, personal correspondence, and journal entries. This lore tells the Player about Arden’s family – their history, their connection to the magical community, and why Arden is so hesitant to embrace them.
• Magical History – Found in religious iconography, kites, and candles. This lore comes in the form of visions that both tell the history of magic and provide various spell recipes that will help the Player defeat the Necromancer, if the Player can find them in time.
• Mystery Lore – Found in police reports, crime scene evidence, and other assorted clues. This lore will help the Player find the Necromancer, if the Player chooses to take them on themselves.

Sevurn City – A gritty upstate metropolis that never sleeps. Full of smog, neon lights, and constant noise. Sevurn is sorted into seven boroughs: Lunford, Eastburg, Cruxland Park, Sandpool, Medbury, Dodgeview, and Rosefolk; each borough has its own hidden quirks, both magical and mundane, but all carry the feel of a 1950s noir. Amongst Sevurn’s many boroughs and beneath the humdrum of daily bustle and the pulsing tempo of nightlife are shops and places where you can buy just about anything you want: luck, love, fortune and all the ingredients in between, if you know where to look. But be cautious—sometimes the cost is higher than you’re willing to pay.

• Lunford – An area that is largely tenements, with small mom-and-pop style stores with interactive shop fronts largely in red, but occasionally in purple or green; non-playable shops and buildings are marked in yellow. On a map of Sevurn City, Lunford is approximately 12 o’clock.
• Eastburgh – An entertainment district that houses high-end boutiques, theaters, and nightclubs. Playable businesses are evenly mixed between red, purple, and green. Non-playable businesses are coded in yellow. On a map of Sevurn City, Eastburgh is approximately 1 o'clock.
• Cruxland Park – A district with an assortment of mid-level cultural establishments like zoos, carousels, museums, and a park area. A good source for lore drops and occasionally finding useful items. Playable locations are coded in red, purple, and green. Non-playable locations are coded in yellow. On a map of Sevurn City, Cruxland Park is approximately 3 o’clock.
• Sandpool – Another tenement district with more cathedrals and other such sociocultural markers. Most interactive buildings are coded in red, though a few are in purple or green. Non-playable locations are coded in yellow. On a map of Sevurn City, Sandpool is at approximately 6 o’clock.
• Medbury – A business district with assorted high-end boutiques. Playable locations are coded in red, purple, and green. Non-playable locations are coded in yellow. On a map of Sevurn City, Medbury is approximately 11 ‘o clock.
• Dodgeview – A cultural district still reflecting Sevurn’s melting pot motif, full of small, seemingly ramshackle shops. Playable locations are mostly coded purple or green, with only a little red. Non-playable locations are coded in yellow. On a map of Sevurn City, Dodgeview is approximately 8 ‘o clock.
• Rosefolk – An upscale residential area with equally upscale historical cathedrals, but very few shops. Most buildings are non-playable and coded yellow, with one mystery coded in swirls of purple and green. The scene of the final boss fight, this location will not be revealed until Arden’s party is completely formed and the identity of the Necromancer discovered. Once Arden and their party enters Rosefolk, they’re locked into the final battle and one of the three endings.

Specialty Locations –

• Arden Miles’s Flat (Lunford) – A small studio apartment with gray walls and peeling paint. It is sparsely furnished, with a gray shaded desk lamp on a desk cluttered with a scattering of opened bills, some past due, a newspaper, and a card next to a custom computer setup. An empty tumbler sits nearby. Liquor bottles sit on the counter by the fridge. A calendar open to October hangs on the walls. Plants sit, carefully tended to, in purple planters along a window sill framed by deep red curtains. Board games, including a spirit board, are stacked neatly on the top shelf of a green bookshelf. The books are typical classics–no mention of magic–and books on programming. The quilt on the bed is done in squares of red and purple.
• Police Station (Lunford) – A classic Noir-style police station. All the desk lamps have red shades.
• Rip Finley’s PI Office (Lunford) – A classic, Noir-style PI office: a small single room with a desk, a lamp with an emerald lampshade, and random magazines and case files scattered on the desktop. A coat rack hangs in the doorway, and two dilapidated file cabinets are crammed in the corner.
• Elliot Ripley’s Flat (Lunford) – Similar to Arden’s, but the lampshade is purple on the desk lamp. His desk is littered with old case files and current newspapers. His bookshelf contains several archaic-looking books.
• Lioncast Office Building (Medbury) – Arden’s place of work, a typical office cubicle. Plants are on Arden’s desk. It is next door to the cubicle of Arden’s attractive workmate, Robin Marlow, whose desklamp has a scarlet shade. Arden's office lampshade is gray at the start of the game.
• Club Scarlet (Eastburg) – A high-end club on the opposite end of the block from Club Indigo. Glitzy and glamorous, with deep shadows in the corners and halls leading to the backroom, with deep shadows in the corners and halls leading to the backroom, Club Scarlet may harbor a few undesirables, but there is no magic to be found within its walls. The curtains and accouterments are all done in vivid red.
• Club Indigo (Eastburg) – A high-end club on the opposite side of the block from Club Scarlet. Glitzy and glamorous, with deep shadows in the corners and halls leading to the backroom, Club Indigo also harbors a few undesirables, but it definitely has magic; if you know the right kind, you just might gain access to the VIP Emerald Lounge. The curtains and accouterments are all done in a deep purple, with occasional hints of emerald as accents.

Protagonist 

Arden Miles – A computer programmer in self-imposed exile from their family, who is just too weird for them. They are bound and determined to find a rational explanation for everything. Arden enjoys botany and board games, but only celebrates Halloween if it involves sexy costumes at alcohol-fueled parties. Otherwise, it’s all 9-to-5 at Lioncast and wishing their co-worker would give them a little more than the time of day. Gender and appearance to be chosen by the Player.

Potential Allies

All allies have something to offer, but not all are necessarily who they seem. Throughout the story, Arden will have opportunities to interact with potential allies, forge relationships, and build a party. The people that Arden adds to their party will determine the options available to Arden and lead them towards one of the three endings, as well as determine the ending’s variation.

Robin Marlow – Arden’s cubicle neighbor and cute co-worker who happens to be into them. A well-mannered, professional type who can be found in church every Christmas and Easter, but also in the nightclubs on the weekends in between. A potential romantic interest and ally for Arden, Robin wears a lot of red and is neither aware of nor interested in becoming aware of the magical world around them. Gender to be chosen by the Player.

Quincy Grey – A young, attractive, ingénue type seeking out an education as a natural magic practitioner who’s skirting around the edges of the mystery stalking Arden. A potential romantic interest and ally for Arden, Quincy embraces magic but firmly feels that natural magic is the only magic to wield—and that with great care. Quincy wears a lot of purple. Gender to be chosen by the Player.

Ridley Ellison – Attractive, clever, and ambitious, Ridley Ellison is the engaging and enigmatic recently-promoted manager of Lioncast who’s begun showing an interest in Arden. For now, they’re keeping their distance in order to hide their magical abilities. A skilled soul-magic devotee, Ridley is a potential romantic interest and ally for Arden who wears a lot of green. Gender to be chosen by the Player.

Elliot Calloway – A retired police detective who lives in Arden’s building and has opinions on the recent string of events and what Arden should do about them. Grizzled and hardened by years of service, Elliot is a tried-and-true lawman who hung up the badge, but not his sense of justice and honor. Elliot has also used his natural magic to solve crimes, which is why he’s now intent on helping Arden figure out what they’ve stumbled into. A potential mentor and ally for Arden, Elliot wears purple ties.

Rip Finnely – A private investigator trying to solve a series of murders and Arden’s connections to them. Rip Finnely is a young and eager seeker of the truth, albeit a bit edgy, and uses soul magic to help his causes. A potential ally and mentor for Arden. The band on Rip’s hat and his tie are emerald green

Detective Brighton Henley – A by-the-book cop in the Lunford precinct, Brighton is charged with the responsibility of solving the murders and figuring out their connection to Arden Miles. Without a drop of magic to his name, nor would he want it even if he knew it existed, Detective Henley believes that Arden should leave it to the professionals and keep their nose clean. A potential ally and mentor for Arden, Detective Brighton wears a red tie and uses a pen with a red case.

Enemies

The Necromancer – The big bad. This enigmatic soul-magic practitioner is determined to cement themselves as the master of all by tapping into the near-limitless source of souls in the Veil—regardless of how dangerous it is for the Dead to remain in the land of the living. Attacks include summoning an assortment of the Dead and various magic attacks.

Minions and Lesser Battles – These fights crop up in the various boroughs of Sevurn City. They vary in type, depending on both the makeup of the party and the location in which they’re encountered.

• Gangsters – Ranging from soldiers to dons, these villains are armed with tommy guns and knives and lurk in the backrooms of night clubs. Tread too close to their business interests and you’ll have to find some way to deal with them. Options include fighting it out, negotiating, and/or bribing. Winning these battles gives you mundane items that help improve strength or health (to the least degree), earn coins, or gain information (lore drops).
• Police Officers – While not bad guys, they do have a job to do and that doesn’t involve letting civilians poke around in police business. Investigate if you will, but watch out for the police. If they catch you where you’re not supposed to be, you’ll have to choose between fleeing, fighting, or bailing yourself out–costing you both precious time and money. You’ll also add to local suspicion about Arden’s involvement in the murders, which will lead to more police presence at the crime scenes you need to investigate.
• The Dead – There are multiple varieties of the Dead, mostly wrenched from the Veil by a Necromancer to serve as minions or as batteries for soul magic—or trapped outside of it because they weren’t given the proper rites at their time of death. All of the Dead are angry for being denied their eternal rest. The longer they remain outside of the Veil, the angrier and more dangerous they become. To defeat the Dead, you will need either the right magical skills or the right mundane items to put them to rest. Depending on the strength of the Dead in question, it may be necessary to weaken them using physical and/or magical attacks before a final cleansing.
• Dybbuks – Spirits that possess the sinful living; these souls were denied entry to the Veil for their evil in life and now spend eternity tortured by their banishment. They provide their living host with superhuman strength and utilize any weaponry they might have. Unearthly attacks include an enchantment that obliterates the impulse control of others around them, turning your allies into theirs for as long as the spell lasts. To cleanse them, you will need to find the right Bible verse (Old Testament), or magical spells. Physical attacks should focus on the dybbuk’s feet, as this is their weak spot, and the big toe will be the point of exit for the spirit.
• Revenants – The Dead who have risen from their graves with the aid of a Necromancer. Bound to do the Necromancer’s will, revenants are ravenous, violent, killing machines who will keep coming until they are forced back to rest. Attacks include an overpowering stench that stuns their victims, powerful slashes, and bites, as well as a swarm wherein multiple revenants will rush a single target in an effort to tear them apart. To cleanse them, you must sever the revenant’s head or impale them with birch stake or silver athame through the heart, or sever their connection to the Necromancer with a magic spell. Revenants are resistant to most physical attacks.
• The Faceless – A series of ghosts, male or female, with no face. Either rent from the Veil or lost on Earth, these Dead will follow their victims endlessly until cleansed. Attacks include a paralyzing fear blast and a freeze blast. To cleanse them you will need salt, iron, or spells of exorcism.
• Spell Creatures – The product of spells cast wrong. The creatures spawn from the element or elements used in the spell and wreak havoc until they’re defeated. Spell creatures can only be defeated with magic. Some types of magic make them stronger while others weaken them faster; which is which varies by the creature’s makeup.

Religious Items:

• Crosses – A low level mundane armor item. This item can repel the Dead.
• Texts – These mundane items vary in strength and complexity, but provide passages that can be used to cleanse a sufficiently weakened Dead.
• Holy Water – A mundane weapon against the Dead. It will yield low-level damage, but if you have enough of it, you might weaken them to the point of being able to cleanse them.

Magical Items:

• Athames – Small silver knives that can be used as weapons or in spell casting, particularly with soul magic. As a weapon, they’ll yield low level damage against mundane enemies, but a moderate one against the Dead.
• Crystals – Crystals can be used to enhance both natural and soul magic by acting as a conduit for natural magic or by trapping souls (harvested by defeating the Dead–basic magic–or pulled from the Veil–high level magic).
• Spell ingredients – An assortment of items that can be combined in a variety of ways for various effects. Spells can be used for defense, healing, or attack purposes. The strength of the ingredients and the strength of the wielder determine the effect of the spell. Defensive spells provide a lot of protection against magical attacks and moderate protection against physical attacks. Healing spells are more powerful restoratives than food. Attack spells yield more damage than physical attacks in most cases (but not when the opponent has some form of magical immunity and/or resistance–like some of the Dead, or those in possession of certain accessories).

Mundane Items:

• Firearms, knives, clubs, etc. of various strengths to be used in physical attacks on mundane enemies. While mundane weapons may be used in physical attacks on the Dead, the damage they yield, if any, will be significantly lower than when used on mundane opponents.
• Clothing includes hats and shoes that function as armor of varying strength based on the quality of the item; all items are thematic from Noir genre and relevant period pieces. Mundane clothing offers limited protection against magical attacks, but is an efficient guard against physical attacks.
• Food offers different levels of health restoration based on the quality of the item. While food will restore health regardless of what caused the damage, it does not restore as much health as a healing spell.

Hybrid (Both Magical and Mundane):

• Accessories – Bracelets, necklaces, belts, etc. that afford the wearer boosts in strength (attack points), health, or magic points. Rare items can also offer protection against magical attacks.

Magic:

• Natural Magic – This magic works in harmony with nature and is element-based. Combine different levels of fire, water, earth, and air with a variety of other spell ingredients to varying effects, but remember, magic must be balanced, or you’ll create a mess you didn’t mean to make…and make yourself another problem to solve. Natural magic points are slower to rebuild, but the attacks are every bit as potent as soul magic. Risks to the practitioner are external in the form of spells gone awry, though imbalanced magic may also cause localized damage to flora and fauna.
• Soul Magic – This magic is fueled by soul energy. Souls pulled from the Veil lend more strength, as they haven’t degraded yet from the torture of being denied their eternal rest. The strength of soul magic can also be increased by the number of souls used. Soul magic is potent and the magic points are quick to replenish as there are always more souls available to pull; however, this includes the practitioner’s soul. Soul magic done carelessly can result in injury or death to its wielder.
• Necromancy – A specialty of soul magic that controls the Dead in addition to using souls as a source of magical energy.

Every choice has its consequences and even if Arden manages to save the day, repercussions must be faced… and who knows what damage the Necromancer did to the Veil? In short, multiple opportunities exist for continuing the game play. The following are a couple of ideas.

• All Souls’ Day: Phantom Hunt – Following the battle for the Veil, even with the defeat of the Necromancer, Sevurn City is afflicted with a host of the Dead trapped outside the Veil. Arden and their friends must figure out how to put them to rest, picking up right where Arden left off. If Arden commits to a life of the mundane, they must also figure out what to do with a super-powered Necromancer and the plague of Dead sweeping across the world.
• All Souls’ Day: Redemption –There are a few different ways Arden could fall from grace throughout the course of All Soul’s Day. What happens if they do? How will the damage be countered? Can they be redeemed? Further development would depend on the specific circumstances of Arden’s fall.
• All Souls’ Day: In the Veil – The battle for the Veil culminates with both Arden and the Necromancer ending up trapped in the Veil itself. Living souls where only the Dead belong creates a whole new world of lore and exploration.