Alpha Preview Update (November)

Hi everyone, as a little treat I'm updating the alpha build a few days early! 36,000 words have been added to Chapter 6 and more day off sequences!

Play 

Password: autumnalpha

Things in this update:

• The first 25,000 words of Chapter 6
• Shenanigans
• Chase's next day off
• Ayla's first day off
• Caine's first day off
• New codex documents about the court/vassal/feudal system in Blest and aristocratic life

Content Warnings:

This chapter may feature PG-13 sexual content (completely optional and missable, the player must actively choose to pursue it) and may also feature a gender-choice stranger approaching the MC with romantic/sexual intentions. While the MC has a variety of responses to this encounter, including the option to roundly tell said stranger to fuck off, the brief meeting may still be there depending on certain choices and paths taken. Please be aware of this and read at your own caution!

Developer Notes:

• Several typos have been fixed throughout the build.
• Gambling is now "locked" behind having to have Chandry introduce it to you first, as will be present in the final version of the game.
• Two days off are now available instead of just one.
• Briony's gladiators may join the Shepherds in this chapter depending on certain choices taken in Chapter 5. However, I accidentally saved the necessary variables in Chapter 5 as temporary variables rather than permanent. This has been changed, but the game may act as if you did not take these choices (Nathe might be alive, Tovrik might be alive, etc.); or it may not, I have no idea how the code will react. Anyway, basically I have no idea what's going to happen, but it only affects one small slice of the chapter anyway! But if things act funky, now you'll know why.
• Lavinet!!!! We're coming for you bby!!!

What's next: 

I would like to continue writing Chapter 6 as well as adding Riel's first day off, Blade's next day off (stretch goal), and ideally Tallys' next day off next. However, I have to go through the copyedit of my book one last time (it's going up for preorder soon!), which will take at least a week, as well as write Red's short story for the end of the month (very excited about that, there are going to be school shenanigans, final exams, and spirits!), as well as playing catch-up with my other work projects, which will take up the rest of my time. We are also still wrangling Gracie, the new puppy, and now her much bigger (dog) cousin is visiting for Thanksgiving (along with his parents), so it's just a full house around these parts! I'm going to do my best to keep working on ShoH in my little spare time, but I'll have to give other projects priority for the next two weeks or so. 

Also, keep an eye out for the ShoH Holiday Fan Contest I'll be posting about in... five days' time! Prizes and festivities and more prizes, oh my!

Total wordcount: 441,535 words without code (7/13 chapters, ongoing)

Thanks for reading, everybody, and I hope you enjoy!