The Sovereign's Ring
The Empress is dead. The Throne is free for the taking.
The Sovereign's Ring is an 18+ dark fantasy interactive fiction filled with drama and romance.
CONTENT WARNING: The Sovereign's Ring is intended for an 18+ audience. The Sovereign’s Ring contains disturbing/dark subject matter that is not for everyone, such as graphic depictions of violence, gore, death, trauma, sexism, racism, poverty, misogyny, sexual assault/violence, child abuse/grooming, suicide, depression, alcohol more.
Links: Tumblr, Pinterest, Ko-Fi, Patreon
When the Empress dies without issue, you play as the youngest out of four possible successors to the throne.
Civil war is on the horizon. The other successors will stake their claim- but you’re the one who’s in possession of the Imperial Signet Ring, the sole symbol of the Sovereign’s authority and a relic of great mystery.
Choose your loyalties. Build relationships- or don’t. Tear them apart. Sabotage your rivals and pave the path to the throne for yourself. The choice is yours to make.
There are no right or wrong choices- only consequences.
✦ Choose the heir you wish to be, customize your name, gender, sex, sexual orientation and appearance.
✦ Choose between one of three backgrounds: Warfare (Soldier), Academic (Scholar) or Politics (Diplomat)
✦ Align yourself: Follow the code of law or follow your own. Decide the future- the Empire you wish to see and the ruler that sits at the top.
✦ Build or break your relationship with your older brothers. Help them realize their goals- or don’t. There is no way to make everyone happy
✦ Romance one of four love interests(and maybe a few secret controversial one(s))…or pine for unrequited love.
Duke Alberich Nibel Vagnyr | He/him | 26 | Male
Alberich is your eldest brother, who raised you after the death of your parents. He's an astute and charming politician. You love each other dearly. Despite knowing him all your life, you can never tell where his true ambitions and intentions lie.
Sir Sieghardt Nibel Vagnyr | He/him | 25 | Male
Sieghardt is your second brother and Captain of the Nibelhiem Heath Knights. Unlike Alberich, Sieghardt is a like ghost, often occupying the shadows in your memory. He’s a quiet and stoic person, but is loyal to your brother Alberich above all else. There is a weight he carries with him that no one knows.
Eirik Nibel Neaera | He/Him | 23 | Male
Eirik is your only cousin, the son of your Father's twin brother. He still holds your family responsible for the death of his father and will do anything to avenge him. He's arrogant and hot-headed, but he's also resourceful. Despite being a jerk, he inspires great loyalty in the people who follow him.
Sir Griffin (Finn) Brynhildr | He/him | 19 | Male
A young boy from your childhood. He was a good friend- maybe even your first love, but you two have drifted apart over the years. Now he's a Nibelhiem Heath Knight and heir to a Great House. His passion is second to none and charges into every situation with enthusiastic sincerity- sometimes to his own disadvantage. He hates Sieghardt with every fibre of his being.
Lady Linnet Brynhildr | She/Her | 24 | Female
Linnet is Finn's older sister and childhood friend of your older brothers. She's a part of the renowned Shield Maidens and harbors a flame for Sieghardt, but due to her family's ambitions, nothing becomes of it. Above all else, she wishes to serve her country and fulfill her duties- but must it come at the cost of her own happiness?
Prince Thea ana' Isadora Brigid | She/her | 18 | Female
A young Prince from the neighboring country of Brigid. Thea is one of seven children in line for the throne. She was a good friend and pen pal- maybe even your first love, but she stopped answering your letters one day. Her short stature and demure demeanor causes most people to underestimate her crafty nature.
Medea | She/Her | ??? | Female
The Wizard Rothbart's assistant. She's a woman of many questions and little answers. A flirtatious and beautiful woman, who is easy to like, but hard to trust. There’s something about her sincerity that makes you uneasy. Her smiles never truly meet her eyes.
Helios | He/They | ??? | ???
Helios is a great sorcerer of unknown origins with great knowledge of the occult and the Wastes. Aside from that, no one knows who the fuck this person is.
Development log
- TSR: Patreon + SidestoryOct 03, 2023
- TSR: Chapter 1 Part 1 Update!!Sep 16, 2023
- TSR: Prologue Patch 0.1Aug 20, 2023
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Everything good, Lili? Noticed your tumblr and patreon suddenly going silent.
Could you please provide a downloadable version?
Because English is not my language
And by running the downloaded html I can translate it through the browser
This is a lovely demo! I enjoyed it so much! 🥰
I already know that this will be a lengthy message, but it's important for you to hear it.
I understand that everyone has their own preferences and opinions when it comes to fictional stories. However, it's important to remember that authors have creative freedom and different readers enjoy different types of narratives!
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but it's unnecessary to be disrespectful. The author has put in a lot of effort and creativity into their work, and there are many readers who appreciate and enjoy it. If it's not your cup of tea, there's no need to engage or spread negativity.
It's always better to promote constructive dialogue and understanding rather than resorting to insults. Your remarks about the author's sanity and the readers' character are not only uncalled for but also quite distasteful. Critiquing a story is one thing, but demeaning the creator and their audience is quite another!
Isn't it rather amusing? The author hasn't ever pressed anyone to pursue romance with the cousin. There's a whole array of alternatives to swoon over. Let's not linger on one aspect indefinitely, shall we?
I hope you realize the impact of unkind words; it may already be evident on this particular page.
You say things more eloquent and kinder than I would have. Your message is a very important one as it hold a great value of truth to it. It is so disheartening when i see such amazing authors disappearing because of such cruelty from people who don't understand their IF, it's a fictional historical political drama, of course there will be elements that people find distasteful or just too much. But that is why we simply don't read the ones we don't enjoy, instead of tearing at an author who has clearly put in a lot of time, effort, and love to their IF, and is clearly on hiatus (as i hope the return, i am going with hiatus) do to the past crude remarks of their IF.
I appreciate your acknowledgment of my efforts to convey my message in such a manner. I genuinely believe that by approaching the negative and distasteful perspectives with compassion and kindness, we have a better chance of inspiring change. It is indeed disheartening to witness talented authors disappear due to the cruelty they face from people who fail to grasp the nuances of their interactive fiction.
I can't stress enough how essential it's to respect and appreciate the immense amount of time, effort, and love authors pour into their work. Let's hope for the author to return safely from their hiatus, coz I'm not losing hope anytime soon....esp for this masterpiece 😭.
We shall hope together!!!
Genuinely sad that this isn't getting updated. I just finished part 1, and I'll say I wasn't surprised when I saw the support being given for the creator. I really hope she comes back to this.
Any news regarding future updates? :((
no news on the patreon, kofi or their tumblr, sadly i think this is another wonderful wip that prematurely ended with no news.
I'm certain we are all aware of the reasons behind this occurrence. To be more specific, we know who are responsible for it. Words have a great deal of power...
Perhaps some folks around here could benefit from learning to respect and appreciate the hard work authors put into crafting these interactive fictions.
Wow, I appreciate someone bringing attention to this issue; it's disheartening to see some individuals being so rude to the author. It's terrible to recall that one user, deliciao Lola or something, went as far as to call those enjoying this interactive fiction as degenerates! It's funny, though I can't seem to find that comment now; perhaps it's been deleted. It's just wild!
Right now, all I hope for is that the author is doing well and staying safe.
Agreed on that, i was just thinking about this IF and was searching forever to find it (i forgot the name but remembered the entire premise lol) and was so happy when i did! But i was so upset woth all the rude and unnecessary comments under here. Just plain oht rude and uncalled for. I hope the author is doing well, they deserve joy in thier lives.
The entire premise of this interactive fiction is top notch! I was really excited to see how the story unfolds here...however fate had different plans, I suppose.
No daddy character, skip
incest is gross :(
after seeing our cousins an RO I'm kinda glad this one died
I love this game poor mc and his family went though so much and aunty so sweet D:
REVENGE FOR THE EMPRESS!!!!!
Disclaimer :If there was foul play
NOOO I NEED MOREEEE
I need more! This is an amazing interactive fiction and I am dying to see what happens next!
This is already a joy so far. I adore both brothers and look forward to more with the RO's...particularly Helios and Finn. I really hope to see this continued. <3
oh my god just reading the premise made me so giddy and the name MEDEA? consider me sold im gonna read this as soon as possible👌👌
No!!! I was so intrigued by the story, Im so exited for the next chapters to come out, it was awesome! Great work!
Nothing but tears 😭
I CANT WAIT FOR MORE CHAPTERS!! YOU'RE AMAZING LILI KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
Amazing work. Really amazing. It has a really interesting world and even more interesting characters. And since I'm something of a masochist myself is perfect because I will suffer not knowing when it will be completed. But good things happen to those who wait so... patience. I wanted to ask, I have had a story in my head for some time and finally I found Twine, a tool that will help me giving it shape. The problem is that a have the coding and programming skills of boomer. Where can I find information about it? A video, document, anything. Thank you, and wish you all the luck in the world in both your personal life as in the writer one.
P.S: When you said that some romances were controversial, you don't mean... My brothers did you? If so you're evil... And I like it >:)
Hi thanks so much for the kind words. Before I go into talking about resources, I'll kindly confirm that your brothers are NOT romantic options (LOL) everyone else is far game :)
I understand how daunting it starting up. I'm self taught and very much a beginner in twine and coding, but I'll do my best!
Now for Twine resources, it does depend on which story format you wish to work with. Twine has about 5 different formats to choose from: Harlowe (the default), Sugarcube (which TSR runs on), Snowman, and Chapbook. Each format has it's advantages and disadvantages, but I personally use Sugarcube because my favourite IFs use it (haha) and it's has quite a few resources online. I cant speak for the other formats because I don't use them. But Chapel has an amazing breakdown on everything for twine and makes great plugin/macros for authors.
If you haven't created an account already, I do recommend creating a tumblr. Tumblr has a very large and supportive community over there with a lot of authors provided their own coding knowledge and resources to help out those just starting out. You'll be able to promote the game/story even before you're able to release it, so it's great for building a community as well. If you do decide on working in Sugarcube, I'll be more than happy to help out. You can always ask me a question over on Tumblr, where I am most active or you can toss me your discord on tumblr if you want something more private.
The hardest part is starting out, but anyone can do it!!! I am more of a visual artist before I am a writer or a coder, so it can be done!
Thank you so much Lili, for answering, it just like you say, it's very hard to start and being oblivious to coding doesn't help. At all. And you're kind enough to offer your help which you'll come to regret in the near future because I will ask. A lot. Its very hard to have a story, a world and characters in my head and not give them shape with words. I actually wanted to make a visual novel with the story i have but due to certain factors in my life, including the drawing skills of a neanderthal, I can't. But Twine is the perfect alternative. Thank you again for showing me the way. You're my personal Gandalf lol.
P.S: No romance with siblings? You're not evil... And I don't like it 😒 (jk)
No problem! The struggle is real and getting the ball rolling is the hardest part! I wanted to try making VN myself, but I was scared of all the coding and Twine is much friendly alternative for someone who's completely new to the programming/coding scene.
Good luck! I'm here if you need me. Just take everything one step at a time <3
Ps. I think I am plenty evil...we just haven't gotten there yet :)
Thanks. Will do.
P.S: O_O I'm actually scared now.
Aahh I think I'm too intrigued by Medea especially already...
Excited for more! Promising start.
You really got those first acts perfect. I truly immersed myself in a kid way in over his head. Great writing, hope you continue.
ANYTHING MY BROTHERS SAYS GOES (hi yes I love this and I adore our brothers sm)
dat feel when a dm forced you to roll dice just to mess with your character and you rolled a natural 1
"You had wet the bed again."
okay...
Bruv not gonna lie. Looks very cool
Ah! This update was excellent, and also very emotional. Great job! Can't wait to hear more.
Let's go so excited
Just read the update and Jesus this kid can't catch a break 🤦🏻♀️ writing was so good it depressed the hell out of me for him.
Edit: Helios's description made me chuckle 🤣
Thanks for the update. The story and all the characters have me fully enthralled. My favorite character is our oldest brother. God, that guy went through a lot. I want to hug him so bad, and my MC will say that everything is going to be okay. Sieghardt—I don't mind him, even though he's distant. Everyone has a different way of coping, and that's his coping mechanism. And the Empress—what a shame! I like her character, and my MC treats her as a mother figure; she's going to be missed. Overall, LIs and other supporting characters have flaws like real people and unique personalities; it's rare for me to feel this kind of attachment to the IF genre. I will definitely keep my eyes on this gem. For our dear author, would you mind giving us more hints or details about the unrequited love warning in the LI section? I'm kind of afraid because when I pursue a LI, I want them to have a fully proper route, not just a fling. Personally, I can handle other issues, except that LI rejects our love when we actively pursue them, so spare us the heartache, please.
And for you guys, read the disclaimer about this game before you play; the genre is dark fantasy and medieval, and if you know historically how the aristocrats lived, you will know the gist of it. We all have our preferences and our limits, and that’s okay. If you don't like it or get triggered, drop the story and move on. Don't bring the vibe down in the comment sections.
An update!? We are truly blessed rn...I'm so bloody excited to read it ^^
Loving this a lot so far, and interested to discover why we get the ring over our older siblings.
Also, I really shouldn't as enthusiastic as I am about the 'controversial' ROs, but heck it, bring 'em on! :D
Quite an atmospheric story, I'm looking forward to fighting scary demons and babadook spooks. Who cares about a ring, the squirrel ... I must have it ... give it to me ... NOW.
This got me hooked! Loving how u write the story. Can't wait for more amazing updates<3
Really enjoyed it , actually sucked me in which is more than I can say for most works these days. Obviously there are typos and grammatical errors but not anything so bad to make it unreadable. You did a great job so far.
Absolutely amazing, got chills and everything. The music is such a great touch!! I felt like it was too fast-paced but that's imo. Also I read about the grooming part- I was wondering if it's a small part in the story or its going to drag out-?(Just wondering so I could prepare myself)
The MC 24/7:
The grooming aspect is a part of a character's backstory, but it will probably be left implied and ambiguous, but that may be subject to change.
Thanks for enjoying the game so far! <3
Ooo okok. Thank you for the heads up!! I hope you don't push yourself too much, making a game and writing does take a lot of energy(from pass experience) anyways I love the diverse vocabulary :3
Typos galor. But still excited to see more of this.
Also i hear you can indeed romance Eirik? im not into incest part buuuuut
dark content to make my soft kind baby boy baby mc to suffer? potentially abusive romance route to bully my anxious mc boy? my dumbass naive mc actually managing to gain his love?
I look forward to this being completed
Need any help fixing grammar tho? I like this so i dont mind giving some help
Hi, thank you very much for the offer!
If you're still open to helping out, you can shoot me your discord/email in my tumblr inbox. :)
I guess I can finally call myself... The Lord of The Rings
great prologue so far,genuinely intriguing and pulls you into the world. also oh my god,this protagonist is gonna need YEARS of therapy from the prologue alone.
You have me smiling then crying man- keep it up.
Very intriguing prologue, looking forward to more drama unfolding :)
I love this story and how long the prologue is! Ty for blessing me with this!