Rivers of Astrum: Daughter of Darkness is a story-rich adult visual novel that follows Kimberly Ashmoore, a young woman orphaned on the streets of a city that never wanted her. Plagued by recent dark visions and no longer feeling safe, she embarks on a journey to acquire the means of leaving the only place she has ever known as home. Public store pages describe it as a dark fantasy adventure with a lesbian protagonist, deep choices.
🌑 Kimberly Ashmoore: The Umbral Hand of Cliffperch
1. Our tale begins with Kimberly Ashmoore in the pirate-run town of Cliffperch. Orphaned by her parents at the age of three, she was dumped on the streets of this island slum. To this day she does not know why, nor does she know what became of her mother and father.
2. As a result of her environment, she spent her youth learning to exist in the dark alleys and blind corners of the world. Always seeing, never seen, she learned the arts of stealth, sleight-of-hand, and pickpocketing in order to put food in her stomach. The guard have a permanent bounty on her persona, but not a single victim has ever caught her in the act.
3. With no face to place on the wanted posters, the town simply began to refer to her as "The Umbral Hand." The bounty stands today at seven thousand Kartisian Crowns. Her mastery of the scoundrel's ways allowed her to survive and thrive in a world where she was neither noticed nor wanted.
💰 A Rogue's Philosophy and the Call of the Well of Whispers
1. She had always told herself that she would stop thieving once she had "enough," but it turned out to be an exercise in frustration to attempt to live life within the expectations of society. Living within the rules just felt so needlessly tedious. In her mind it made no sense to spend your entire life working to obtain something the "proper way," when you can simply steal it in one night.
2. Only a massive windfall of wealth would make a "normal" life worth living. To that end, she always keeps her ear to the ground for the next rumor, the next big score. There is an information network that spans the length of the city, dubbed the Well of Whispers, providing information of all sorts for any able to pay for it.
3. The Well had recently provided Kim with a potential motherlode. The talk on the street is that of a treasure beyond worth, sunken just off the coast in a vicious storm. If the rumors are true, then it is the kind of treasure that makes fortunes and establishes generational legacy. It is a long walk to the beaches of the Queen's Coast, where the shipwreck is said to have occurred, and she wakes now to prepare for the journey.
⚓ A Sweeping Tide of Destiny in the Realm of Astrum
1. This journey sees her caught up in a sweeping tide of destiny that no one could have predicted, and leaves her forever changed. Whether that change is for the better or for the worse is yet to be seen. As Kimberly pursues the sunken treasure, she is pulled into a larger conspiracy that threatens the entire realm of Astrum.
2. Along the way, she forms dynamic relationships with a cast of unforgettable characters. Players can romance the fiery half-elf Cara, recruit the sassy pirate captain Sandra Gale, and ally with the mysterious scholar Vex. Polyamory is possible, and every companion carries ambitions, fears, and secrets of their own.
3. Every dialogue choice and action creates ripples throughout the narrative. Some decisions affect relationships, others shape Kimberly's morality, and a few can lead to bad ends. With retry options available, players are free to explore different outcomes as they guide Kim toward the light or the shadows.
