[Spoilers ahead!] Chapter 1 - Story Plan

Hello hello!

After it's been a while, I finally got some updates to share regarding the story of Rivencliff.
Below you'll find a rough version of the story plan for chapter 1. It still needs some tweaks, but should generally capture the setting for Chapter 1.

Spoilers ahead!

Buru moved to Rivencliff, a peaceful village hidden in a luscious valley, with Taro, his first boyfriend. It is a huge change for them both and Buru is keen to finally settle down and start a life with his partner. However, all is not well in love as Taro does not even unpack before carrying on with his life, not wanting to settle down, having led Buru on while he “figured things out” – much to Buru’s detriment and heartbreak.

The bull is a healer and few in the village know of his troubles, so he can make a fresh start. Buru doesn’t want to be tied down by his past, even though he has no interest in a new relationship. The wound of his first serious one is far too raw. He resolves to tell no one about Taro, even though a couple of Anthos there have questions about the guy that he showed up with. These are easily brushed off, however.

But Rivencliff may have answers for him. A village filled with diverse cultures, it is a hotspot for merchants and travelers, even richer folk passing through, though there are few with extreme wealth living there. It is somewhere that he can grow and Buru settles down in the small two-story home (ground floor and first floor) that is now a little too big for him. He anticipated starting a business with Taro, following Taro’s offered divination services but, well, that is no longer on the table for Buru. The hole that Taro has left behind yawns.

To counter this, Buru throws himself into finding work and finds himself easily leaning on his aptitude (healing magic). He finds a role in providing healing services with his own little shop and service room, along with going, occasionally to events like tournaments where mages pit their skills against one another. It is something that he can grow and develop, though the shop, to begin with is small. He uses the savings that he had to start a business and life with Taro to rent the shop space and start stocking it, though he can use his magic, of course, which doesn’t have an upfront fee for Buru.

Business picks up swiftly for Buru but he is focused entirely on healing and ensuring that everyone that comes by his shop knows what he is there for, as Buru is acutely aware that he needs to make money and ensure that he can make a living there. He needs to replenish the savings that he used to start up things, as he is not all that good with his hands and can fumble (so repairs and the like aren’t his forte, home maintenance etc). He can, however, heal himself if ever needed and spends his free time being a little more bookish, reading scrolls and tomes, asking the merchants to bring in certain books for him to research new avenues of healing magic.

However, Buru doesn’t want to be alone and struggles to make friends when he doesn’t know anyone there; he’s never been all that good at that. He meets the kindly manager of the bath house, Ivon, in his early days (first month) there when he heads down to bathe, hearing that it is a good place to relax. Public bathing is accepted there, with the bathing facilities separated into males, females and mixed. There are also private bathing chambers, though these command a higher fee.

Buru bathes in the public chamber for males, though keeps himself to himself while the manager, Ivon, goes around and ensures all is in order. Curiously, Buru watches Ivon converse with the other patrons, having light conversations with some and conversations with a heavier, more suggestive undertone with others. Ivon, however, always toes the line, being that he is working. It is obvious, however, that he has had sexual relations with some of them, although Ivon is currently single.

He chats with Buru for a time and it comes out that Ivon lost his partner some years ago, though Ivon skilfully moves on from the difficult topic. They chat about Buru’s time there and how he is finding the smaller town life, Ivon relaxing Buru (he does his job well!). Ivon expresses a gentle interest in Buru but Buru brushes him off without telling him what has happened with Taro.

Ivon lets Buru know about where the gay male culture lies in the village, with a vibrant tavern and gardens, which focuses on entertainment and liquor in the evening and nighttime hours and portrays a mixture of culture (artistry, music, literature and so on) during the daytime hours. It is a secure haven for friendship, companionship, relationships and even sexual exploration for the gay anthros in the town and beyond. There is no persecution of non-heterosexual (or heteronormative) anthros in Rivencliff, so this tavern attracts many more anthros from other towns, villages and even the cities.

It is too enticing for Buru who visits the tavern shortly afterwards, dressed in his best clothes, though he feels a bit formal for an evening of a good meal and drinks. However, Buru does not need to worry, because there is a range of styles and cultures on display in the tavern, which is richly decorated and eclectically furnished. He manages to awkwardly order a meal and pays more than needed, the waiter laughing and returning his extra money to him when delivering his meal. The waiter is introduced to him as Darragh.

Darragh says that Buru can tip him later if he likes the service he provides: there is an obvious invitation in his word, gently propositioning Buru for sex. The waiter, Darragh, is slight and friendly, an easy smile on his face. Buru finds himself blushing, though it is hidden by his fur. He manages to say something back that neither confirms nor denies that he would be interested in Darragh too, though he is mildly interested, a little curious. There is little conversation between them, however, as the tavern is quite busy.

Things change, however, for Buru when he is exploring the market one day, on the day that travelling traders come to the town, spilling out from the main square into the side streets and beyond. The more traditional stalls and carts occupy the central space, though Buru is interested in the ones that haven’t been able to occupy the square, selling strange and wonderful items, also healing tinctures. These could be used to supplement his healing powers but Buru is sure that, with some trial and error, he can make a more efficient version of the tinctures. He has to keep expanding his business, after all, to be convenient for residents and travellers, though there is the option to take orders from further afield too, as things grow. (Could show Buru’s thoughts here to better demonstrate his thinking process in checking out the stalls and thinking through how the healing tinctures would benefit him, would fit well with VN style, thoughts in italics as standard).

It is there that he meets Kael, though Kael has passed through Rivencliff once before. A nomad, he turns out to be negotiating a deal for a training contract on sword fighting instruction for a weapons merchant. The weapons merchant (rat, moderately built – he is not a fighter but still needs to be strong enough to easily handle his stock, loading and unloading his travelling wagon etc) is looking to boost sales and comes to the town on a weekly basis, travelling back and forth between three locations where he is expanding his business. For Kael’s purposes, the instruction and sessions will be held in Rivencliff.

The weapons merchant calls Buru over, querying a potion that Buru was preparing for him to assist with an old tail injury (it is, however, much harder to heal old injuries than it is to heal fresh ones in the acute stage of injury). Buru has prepared this ready for him but cautions the merchant on expecting quick results, saying that it will likely take a month to see improvements.

Kael gets to talking with Buru, still at the merchant’s stall though the weapon merchant is busy selling to others, mentioning that he may need a healer for the sessions that he is being contracted to instruct. Buru makes himself available as a healer for the sessions (similar to how he is available at tournaments similar to offer his abilities for swift, easy healing resolutions). They agree to meet a few days later to go over the timings for the sword fighting sessions, so that they can better work together.

Buru heads down to the tavern that night, though finds himself thinking of Kael and getting together to spend the night in a similar anthro’s room, staying at a local inn (Zumyar). The two anthros enjoy one another’s company, though this is a purely sexual encounter.

Sex scene to include oral and anal sex as Buru’s first time with someone other than Taro (he had sexual relationships before Taro, but he was younger then and more fumbling, learning). Scene to be explicit and detailed, in context with the story (adult VN style), anticipating around 1500 words, maximum of 2000 words for the entire encounter.