You are a recent member of The White Company, a mercenary guild on the far side of the law. Your job consists of hunting artifacts and roaming ruins that the Church has forbidden to mention. One of your expeditions, however, leads you down a path that is much deeper than you ever anticipated.
“The Golden Rose: Book One” is a thrilling 1.2-million-word interactive fantasy novel by Ana Ventura, where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.
Juggle friendships, new alliances, and flames of romance in this epic adventure that will take you to an Europe where History took a different turn.
Play as male or female; straight, gay, or bisexual.
Find romance, friendship, or rivalry with a cast of colorful characters.
Hunt down the thief that stole your forbidden maps!
Fight against bandits and city guards while trying to stray away from the all-seeing Eyes of the Church.
Explore ancient ruins and the cobble-stoned streets of the medieval city of Tarragona. Step into a grand cathedral, a sprawling market, a multicolored harbor, the dark gates of the city, or an aqueduct that no one dares to come close to.
Bond with a stubborn old horse.
Choose to ally with a street urchin or the feral captain of the Guard.
Uncover what is true in a world where denial reigns supreme.
Start to unravel your own mysterious past.
Immerse yourself in a world rich with characters, story, and lore.
I finished playing the Golden Rose ( @anathemafiction ) this week and had a delightful time! This is Aloys, my MC, and the harbor cat. Saying goodbye was the most heartbreaking scene in the game. u_u
Before I resume work on rewards/commissions I had to indulge and draw myself a small portrait of how I see Hadrian from “The Golden Rose” by @anathemafiction.
He is so precious and amazing and my MC would rather die than see harm come to him (though it might be my MC who needs more saving XD).
(I still haven’t finished the story and I still super curious how it continues.)
Seriously… go read/play “The Golden Rose” if you aren’t already.
The fingertips lay like snowflakes across his skin, barely touching, but unlike snow, they radiate warmth instead. Hadrian has his eyes closed, but they shift beneath the lids when the hand, the gentle fingers, slowly move up his neck to curl underneath his jaw.
A pause. And then a series of shivers make their way down his spine when beside his ear, a shallow breath tickles his hair.
“Hold still,” you ask of him. Hadrian seats like a statue already, but he hardens his muscles all the same. He holds his breath too, holds his very thoughts because he’ll do whatever you want as long as you keep going.
He almost nods but stops himself in time. “Alright,” he murmurs, his voice sounding wrong in the quiet air, intrusive, but he didn’t have any other choice.
He can’t see you, but he can hear the smile on your lips. “Good,” you whisper, closer than before, and Hadrian’s eyes are already closed, his body is already still, and his chest is already burning from the lack of air. But he squeezes his eyes shut even tighter, and he turns his joints into stone and forgets how to breathe altogether.
Merciful Lord.
His cheeks burn, and his ears feel ready to fall off. You have to see it, he knows, the blush spreading on his skin, but Hadrian hopes, he begs, that you simply ignore it. His hands twitch on his lap, seeking the comforting shape of his cross, but Hadrian curls his fingers into fists and holds absolutely still. Just like you asked.
You move away from him. Your bare feet make no noise, but he soon hears the trickle of water on a wooden bowl, a light shuffling of clothes, and then he almost jerks when a hand, your hand, holds his jaw again and gently guides his head back. His neck extends as his nape comes to rest on the chair, and Hadrian’s fists clench when his cheek brushes yours.
You’ll be the death of him. He can’t think of a better way to see the gates of Heaven.
“Tell me if it’s too cold.” Your voice, beautiful, lapping like a mild current onto golden shores, echoes in his ears. Hadrian can’t nod, not while you hold his jaw, the touch light, but keeping him hostage with the strength of the sturdiest of bounds. He can’t nod, and he finds he can’t speak either, so he remains silent, trapped under your will. And he supposes you never did expect an answer, for soon after, a brush touches his skin.
I present Oswald Romanus, my delightfully flirty (and in this case, sleepy) mc from @anathemafiction‘sThe Golden Rose! I adore his stupid little mustache, and this amazing game :] Thanks for giving me the chance to make this gay lil bastard (affectionate).
[Image Description: A digital drawing of a serene, tired looking man leaning on his spear. He has curly brown hair and a curled mustache, and is wearing a blue and white tabard over chain mail armor. He is standing by the side of a dirt road, behind him is a field of grass and in the distance a mountain can be faintly seen. The setting sun bathes the image in an orange glow. End Description.]
