Beyond Secret of the Black Crag [ EDIT ]

The grand halls of the royal court, once a marvel of intricate mechanisms, with gears, pulleys, and ingenious devices humming with life, now lie in eerie silence. The king’s nephew, once trusted, has turned these very creations into instruments of his dark ambition. Through treachery and deceit, he has seized control, casting the loyal supporters of the rightful king into chains.

You, esteemed members of the royal family and steadfast loyalists, are among those betrayed. Under the cover of night, you were seized, bound in shackles of iron and stone, and thrown into cold, reinforced cages. The nephew’s dark plans were whispered as you were loaded onto the backs of massive, steam-powered pterodactyls—mechanical beasts of bronze and granite, their wings thrumming with the energy of ancient engines.

With no chance to resist, you were flown over vast oceans and storm-laden skies, the familiar world below giving way to an alien landscape of stone and mist. The journey was a torment of bitter winds and relentless cold, your fates sealed by the nephew’s sinister machinations.

As dawn broke, the mechanical pterodactyls descended upon a remote island, veiled in mist and mystery. The landscape below was like nothing you had ever seen—towering stone monoliths inscribed with forgotten symbols, great gears and mechanisms the size of houses, slowly turning as if driven by some ancient power, and jungles of giant, fern-like trees swaying in the wind, their leaves whispering secrets of long-lost civilizations.

Unceremoniously, you were dropped into an overgrown clearing, surrounded by remnants of a once-great civilization—crumbling stone towers adorned with intricate carvings, and great wheels half-buried in the earth, still ticking away in some unfathomable rhythm. The mechanical screech of the pterodactyls echoed through the stone valleys as they ascended back into the clouds, leaving you stranded in this strange, ancient land.

But all is not lost. You are not mere captives—you are royalty, warriors, and loyalists, bound by honor and duty, and armed with the knowledge and courage of the royal court. The island may be remote and filled with perilous wonders, but it is here, amidst the forgotten relics of a bygone era, that your journey begins. You must harness the ancient technology around you, use your wits and strength to survive, and uncover the secrets of this island. Perhaps, within the ticking gears and ancient stones, lies the key to returning to the kingdom you swore to protect.

The adventure starts now. The fate of the royal family—and perhaps the kingdom itself—rests in your hands. Will you rise to the challenge, mastering the mechanical marvels of this lost world, or will the island’s ancient secrets consume you?

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I think my main, but quite unconscious - now when I think about it - inspiration for this game concept, was from Fire Emblem games' stories, Avatar the last Airbender cartoon, The Mysterious Cities of Gold and Thorgal comics (although he is not royal per se:) ).