Environment Description

Backstory

The nations of Hlavia and Serova have been in escalating conflict for years. When a group of Hlavia soldiers crossed the border into Serova and got into a scuffle at a local bar, outraged citizens joined in the fight and beat the soldiers to death. The death of these soldiers sparked civil unrest in both territories, with politicians torn between keeping peace and listening to their people’s cries for justice.

Under tremendous pressure Serova’s representatives declared locked borders to all Hlavia citizens, refusing to take responsibility for the soldiers’ deaths, causing irreparable damage to Hlavia’s political and economic stability. Many Hlavian citizens were kicked out of the country of Serova, permanently damaging the relationship between the two nations’ people. Years later, Hlavian citizens grew increasingly desperate without faith in their politicians. Eventually, even the media stopped supporting the government, escalating the situation even further.

Taking advantage of this havoc, an ambitious presidential candidate made bold promises to resurface the case of the Hlavian soldiers, believing that justice was still to be served. Desperate to see change in their country, the people of Hlavia rallied to support his outrageous cries - he would not only get revenge, he would eradicate Serova as a nation for the offence they had done to Hlavia. Weeks after he won the elections, the first aerial strike was launched towards Serova’s capital city, and the bloody occupation commenced.

Description

Name: Serova

Geographical Location: Former Republic of Yugoslavia

Inspirational Cities: Belgrade (Serbia), Kosovo, Sarjevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

The game is set in an imaginary Eastern European city in the Yugoslavian era, during the time of the most impactful conflicts in the 80's and 90's. This city will be an amalgamation of the cities of Belgrade, Sarajevo, and the country of Kosovo. It contains the modern aspects of Belgrade's architecture, as well as the wrecked aftermath of Sarajevo and Kosovo after the gruesome genocidal conflicts that occurred in the cities during that time. The capital city of Serova used to be a beautiful mountainside city, with its architecture built around green patches of trees. At the time of the story the harsh, snowless winter had just begun, so the only trees that aren't naked are pine trees.

Now, after the previously described events, the city is in ruins. Most buildings' scaffolding and innards are exposed from the bombardments. Darkened, burned patches in walls behind burning flames mark the paths of the invaders as they traversed through the city. Broken homes and stores, and bloody windows and doorways portray the brutality of the invasion. The little greenery that had survived the winter is now sprawled over the ground and crushed underneath debris. Abandoned soldier blockades and sandbag walls line the streets, creating the feeling of a concrete jungle.

  

Character Descriptions

Arya

Height: ~ 4.2 feet

Weight: ~ 70 pounds

Appearance: Raised in a small suburban town, Arya is a simple child to say the least. Always teased for her short posture, her clothes look a bit oversized for her shape. Her attire looks comfy, however tarnished and torn, having worn it for consecutive days of struggling. She wears a handcrafted leather coat her grandmother had made for her mother, who then passed it down to her. This complements her tomboy attitude and careless style. Her face depicts her innocence, with dreamy hazel eyes, tiny pursed lips and soft dimples on her cheeks. Her muddy red, short hair is wavy and bouncy, albeit a bit frizzy from her past few days of constant running.

Misha, the Wolf

Height: ~ 4 feet

Length (nose to tail): ~ 6 feet

Weight: ~ 120 pounds

Appearance: Rough, grimy fur. Faint scars across the face. Bright, piercing eyes. You can tell that the war has taken a toll on him. He is big and bulky, but also agile. He as strong legs that enable him to jump far distances as he is attacking his quarry. He has a tall, agile frame that he carries with the confidence of a leader.

Behavior: Always alert, sniffing the air for hints of possible danger. When idle, he paces back and forth. He never looks comfortable. He has an air of superiority about him, like he knows what is best for the group at all times. Views members of the group as his responsibility rather than as members of a team.

Single word description: Dominant

Albert, the Fox

Height: ~ 1 foot

Length (nose to tail): ~ 2 feet

Weight: ~ 33 pounds

Appearance: Fiery orange tinted color of fur, with darker patches around the soles of his feet and underneath his belly. Hi chest fur is white as snow, with small muddy patches he couldn't clean off. Always running around the forest, small pieces of broken branches and leaves are intertwined with his fur. Slim figure, thinner and more fragile than the ferret and less muscular than the Wolf. It's got a slim figure, thinner and more fragile than the ferret (One word: Perky), and less muscular than the Wolf (One word: Dominating).

Behavior: Always on the prowl for more devious traps to use against Arya's enemies. Thin, tall legs should portray sophistication with very light, calculated steps (picture it walking on a landmine, always trying to avoid the mines). Has a playful nature that doesn't take things seriously but brimming with self-confidence that he can get out of every situation when necessary.

Single word description: Sly

Karolina, the Ferret

Height: ~ 6 inches

Length (nose to tail): ~ 16 inches

Weight: ~ 3 pounds

Appearance: Beige tinted, fluffy fur make her look like an enormous caterpillar. The soles of her feet are dirty from walking in the forest and muddy streets of Serova, but her face remains untainted and inviting. That helps determine where her body ends and his feet begin - you can tell by her size she was well off in the forest before the war began.

Behavior: Not as brave as the other animals, she is always looking for places to hide and wait out the danger. Her lack of bravery/strength is balanced with her attentive nature and knack for careful exploration. She is a perky, energetic animal, always entertaining and making Arya feel loved with its quirky behavior like standing on his back two feet asking her for a hug. Sometimes she doesn't even bother asking, it simply climbs her legs and wraps around Arya like a warm and fluffy scarf. Arya is the center of her little world.

Single word description: Perky

General Jovanovic, the Boss

Height: ~ 6 feet

Weight: ~ 180 pounds

Appearance: Wears a military uniform consistent with Eastern European militaries (ex. Serbian). Has a very Spartan/utilitarian approach to his appearance. Wears a distinctive beret or military hat that distinguishes him from other soldiers. Has a constant look of grim determination on his face. Armed with a handgun and knife.

Anielka, Arya's Mother

Height: ~ 5.5 feet

Weight: ~ 120 pounds

Appearance: Simple in her clothing, she wears a white skirt down to her knees (one of those harmonica pleat skirts that dance when you move) and a simple red buttoned shirt, with obvious signs that running from soldiers and tripping more than once have taken its toll on her clothing. On top of that she’s wearing a thick fleece sweater. Her hair is down and messy, but her beautiful curls kept their form. She keeps them behind her ears, and her smiling face reflects kindness with vivid contrast to the deadly environment she’s in.

Goran, the Hostile Civilian

Height: ~ 5.7 feet

Weight: ~ 190 pounds

Appearance: The lifeless expression in his face leaves much to assume as to what he is thinking or his mental stability. His unpredictability is particularly scary because of the colorless sound of his voice and depressed body posture. His wavy hair hasn’t been combed or washed for days, and his beard is patchy and unkempt. As a college student he is wearing jeans and a hoodie to keep him warm and provide for agile movement.

Short background: A college student with not much money in his hand, he lived in an apartment he shared with four other of his friends. The oldest son of his family, he was caught in the middle of the havoc that wreaked over his home-town losing most of his family. Full of hatred for the Hlavian soldiers, he joined other rebel citizens in the fight, careless about his own well-being. The protest was an absolute disaster, with nearly a thousand citizens slaughtered by fully armed soldiers ready to deal with a whole battalion of soldiers. He once more escaped with his life and a permanently scarred mental image, feeling cursed and losing all hope in his future, for life as he knew it had already gone to hell.

Story

Child No More

Welcome to the world of Child No More. Child No More tells the story of Arya, a young girl who is torn away from her family when war breaks out in her home town. Accompanied and protected by her animal companions Arya struggles to make her way through the wreckage and carnage that is war. Arya’s only desire is to reunite with her family at her aunt’s house on the outskirts of the city. Arya’s parents have left notes for her scattered across the city that act as bread crumbs to help her find her way home to reunite with them. As Arya traverses through her broken home-town, the player will experience first hand the effects of war on the innocent mind of a child, unwillingly thrown to survive in an unforgiving environment.

First Encounter

On her 9th birthday while looking out of the window in her room, Arya spotted a beautiful fox. Arya felt as if the fox was calling out to her to follow it into the forest. Although she knew her parents wouldn’t approve, Arya snuck out the window and followed the fox into the forest. The fox led her down a steep hill toward a rushing river. As Arya climbed down the hill her foot got caught in an uprooted vine and she tumbled down the getting badly scratched and bruised on the way down. As Arya sat next to the river in tears nursing her wounds a small ferret peaks through the nearby brush and scurries over to her. The ferret climbs into Arya’s lap and comforts her as she holds it close and slowly stands to her feet. Unwilling to leave her side, Arya wipes her tears and takes her newfound friend home. A few weeks after meeting the Ferret who she named Karolina. Arya saw the majestic fox out her window once again. Arya was hesitant to follow the fox again after being hurt last time, but her curiosity wouldn’t let her resist its beauty, wondering why it keeps coming back to her. Arya snuck out of her home again, this time accompanied by Karolina and follows the fox into the forest. Arya and Albert came across a Wolf with one of its legs trapped under a log. Arya couldn't bring herself to leave the Wolf suffering. She used branches to pry the Wolf’s leg from under the branch. Just as she freed the wolf a wild boar appeared and started to charge at Arya. The Wolf staggered to his feet and stands in front of Arya. The Wolf let out a ferocious growl baring its teeth to the boar and scared it away. The Wolf paused briefly glaring at Arya with its piercing eyes before disappearing into the dark void of the forest.