This is a fairly ambitious project of mine, seeing as it starts off what will eventually be a massive collection of stories designed to build up my world (named Thaedos). I've been nervous about setting any of it down on paper (digital or otherwise) for a long time because I feared doing so would create something... imperfect... which I would then be stuck with forever, unable to change in the future because it had already been exposed to the eyes of the "masses". Yes, I count even just a few people as "masses", but that aside...
I decided I should just go for it, and this is the best way to do it. Unlike other parts of my Thaedos world, the Prehistory saga is relatively new in my mind and doesn't hold as grave a consequence should I mess it up. I'll stop the background rant there though.
Basically, Thaedos: Prehistory takes place a while after the dawn of mankind. It's important to note that this does not take place on Earth, but Thaedos, a fictional world of my creation. Seeing as they have yet to discover much beyond basic survival, no one knows how humans came to exist, and few tribes bother to think of it beyond their direct ancestors. The setting is similar to prehistoric times in our world, but with some differences that would make hardcore scientists turn red with rage. Dinosaurs, monsters, mythical beasts and magic all exist in this world, and evolution works very differently.
One more very important note is, for this story, I'm doing something a little unique. As it takes place in prehistoric times, sophisticated communication (both written and oral), doesn't exist yet. At best, humans communicate with crude hand gestures, body language and a combination of sounds that may mean totally different things among different tribes, and even different families within those tribes. As you play through the game, learning to communicate (and understand the communication of others) will be one of many vital lessons necessary to your survival.
With all that said, this is also something I hope to enter into the Fantasy Contest, although it may become too lengthy for me to completein time. If that becomes the case, I'll work on a different story for that. At any rate, here's the preview. Please let me know what you think with constructive criticism. I'm a big fan of EndMaster and will be trying to learn from his style, though you may not detect it in this initial post. Okay, I'm stalling, here it is:
Prologue
Morning. An annoying red glow that somehow gets past your eyelids, compelling you to wake. You don't want to though. Sleep is so much better than being awake. The stress of the waking world is too much trouble. You grunt with annoyance and turn away from the sun, trying to return to the dream you were having...
"sa... ee... tu..."
A familiar voice. You can't quite understand it, but you don't really want to. Whatever it is, it's trying to wake you up, and you don't like it. You try to block it out, but it keeps getting louder...
"Sa-ee-thu..!"
You grunt and try to cover your ears, but this seems to just make things worse.
"SCYTHE!!!" it screams in your ear.
With a yelp, you jolt awake, rolling away from the source- and into a solid rock wall. Face-first. Ouch. Unfortunately, the pain doesn't stop there. As soon as you sit up and try to look around, you get a painful pinch on the ear. Wincing, you whimper to show submission and understanding. The pain finally recedes, and you're given a chance to get your bearings.
As the sleep clears form your eyes, you see your mom standing over you with a disapproving look. She shakes her head with a sigh and points outside with emphasis. You follow her finger with your eyes, noting the exit to your home. A small cave; enough for you, your mom and your dad to fit in comfortably. You guess it's good, as you don't know of anything better. There's one thing in particular you like about the place though. The wall you sleep by. It's covered with colorful stains and deep carvings that you love you stare at for hours on end. Sometimes you see your dad adding to them, crushing those berries that no one eats and smearing them on the wall. You love that. You wish he'd teach you to do it
Your daydream is cut short, however.
"Scythe." Mom growls, getting your attention again. You're pretty sure "Scythe" is your name. The only reason you have any doubt is because many people seem to use that word when they're angry. With you, specifically. You wish more people would use it when they're not angry.
"Og-u Da-du!" she shouts, jabbing at the exit with her finger to drive the point home. You're still not sure what "Og-u" means, but typically when she points like that and shouts, she wants you to move in that direction. But then, there's this "Da-du", which can only mean one thing. Your dad.
Oh the joys of primitive communication. How will you interpret this?
1. She wants me to go outside and find dad. Probably.
2. She's just telling me dad went outside. I don't need to do anything. Back to staring at the wall!
3. She wants me to go outside and become a dad! Though, I'm not sure how to do that...
4. Where and when the hell am I? (Some background on this story's world)
