Story Summary

A desperate plea for food unravels into grave moral choices as the player discovers that both charity and theft carry dire consequences.

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Hook

The player exploring nearby is able to hear audible crying from outside a cave. Upon investigation discovers a withered Preta curled up on the ground, covered in loose rags trying to stay warm.

This Preta doesn't attack the player like most but rather keeps to themselves not acknowledging the players presence. This should intrigue the player to approach where they can then be spoken to.

The player learns from the preta that they are hungry and experiencing great suffering, they've seen a group of Tyriags hoarding all the food, taking and stashing it in their encampment further into the cave.

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Ending

The quest can end in 3 major ways:

The player doesn’t bring food to the Preta

• They will never learn of its insatiable need and can progress other areas of the game

• The quest will remain available to complete if the player returns, having changed their mind

The player brings food to the Preta

• Upon feeding it the Preta with food they will request more - incapable of ever being sated

• What is mercy for the Preta:

• The player will be given the option in dialogue to end the Preta's suffering by killing it

• The player must choose what to do

• They could attempt to find more food / perhaps taking more from the stash

• They can mercifully kill the Preta to end its suffering and move it forward in the cycle of Samsara

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Design Goals

Moral Dilemma

• Is it right to steal from those who have plenty to give to those who do not

• Upon feeding the Preta with food they will request more - incapable of ever being sated.

• The player will be confronted with the choice to end the Preta's suffering by killing it.

• What is morally right:        

• Killing a suffering creature with no hope of recovering?

• Leaving it to suffer and die of its own accord?

• Does the player have the right to decide what mercy is?

Player Motivations & Emotional Journey

• Doing the 'right' thing - attempting to distribute food to those who need it

• Create fairness through this 'robin hood' activity

• A more uncompassionate play style may see the potential loot within the dungeon as their reward

Emotions:

• Righteousness - distributing food in a ‘robin hood-esque’ adventure

• Regret - upon learning the Tyriags were hoarding food to care for their elderly and ill

• Duḥkha - suffering, unease - anxiety driven in the player through having to make such difficult decisions. Having previously thought they were being righteous and just only to be shown they were ignorant of the wider circumstance, how will they respond to being given yet another choice of such magnitude. Is it 'right' for them to decide what mercy is?

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Characters

Character Name - Tseringwa

• Character Summary: A starving preta bitter and resentful of the hoarding tiryags, requests the aid of the player to find them food. Their insatiable hunger makes this an impossible task however.

• Backstory: Having wandered the barren landscapes of Viratdeha unable to find food they came across a cave to take refuge in. Weak and weary they were unable to muster the strength to explore further in and made rest in a small corner of the entrance to the cavern. Each day they would see a tribe of Tyriags leave from further in the cave only to return with food more than they should need. Knowing it was them who had cleared the local area of all bounty, they grew bitter and resentful only to never be able to act on those feelings due to how weak they had grown.

• Motivations: Their innate insatiable hunger as a Preta

• Character Arc: They start off as desperate and weak begging the player for help in finding food, upon receiving this aid where the player would expect a change in their character they simply remain suffering with insatiable hunger. This shifts the character arc onto the players psychology, as they must come to terms with what they have had to do in order to aid this Preta, now seeing no change in their circumstance.

• Character Traits:

• Hunger

• Weakness

• Desperation

• Suffering

• Bitterness

• Resentful

• Duḥkha

• Relationships:

• None

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Character Name - Zopa

• Character Summary: An infirm Tiryiag who resides within the cave, they are but one of many within their tribe struggling to hold on in the harsh conditions of Viratdeha

• Backstory: Their tribe resides within the cave that the level takes place in seeking any shelter from the devastating blizzard outside. Their tribe gathers as much food as they can from the surrounding environment to care for him and others like him.

• Motivations: Survival, self defense

• Character Arc: They start off afraid of the player character, as to reach him you must tear your way through their camp, depending on dialogue (if the player accuses them of hoarding resources) they will rebuke the player, informing them of the dire state of their tribes sick and elderly. This hopes to drive the core themes of Duḥkha within the quest. Knowing their situation however they dont resort to violence against the player who would have already defeated their chief instead simply requesting they leave food for what's left of the tribe.

• Character Traits:

• Weakness

• Desperation

• Suffering

• Duḥkha

• Relationships:

• Gratitude to the tribe

 

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