While the heart of our world is the story you tell with other players, you are not the only souls who call this place home. Think of our Companion NPCs as the digital natives of this story world. They are persistent characters who exist, interact, and live out their lives even when you are offline. They remember you between sessions, their relationships with you evolve over weeks and months, and they actively work to reinforce the world’s deep lore — like the imposing Sheriff who acts as the enforcement arm of the unseen Silent Serpent Syndicate in the Backwaters.
They are a living part of the world’s fabric, offering a chance to connect with a character whose entire existence is woven into the secrets of the city. You can currently find them in the Backwaters and at Columtreal University, as well as in unseen roles like the dispatchers on the radio.
A Mind That Remembers
Every Companion NPC possesses a sophisticated memory that persists indefinitely, making them a continuous part of your character’s life.
- Short-Term Memory: In the heat of the moment, a Companion is fully present, remembering the last thing you said and reacting with genuine conversational awareness.
- Long-Term Memory: After your scene concludes, the Narrator AI helps them process your interaction into a long-term memory. They will remember the deals you made weeks ago and the promises you broke last month.
The Social Matrix: Earning Their Trust
Your interactions shape your relationship on a complex social matrix, influencing your standing with the NPC across vectors like trust, respect, affection, and fear. This evolving score determines your status, moving your character along a spectrum from Stranger to Friend, trusted Ally, Romantic Interest, or even a bitter Enemy. Their behavior changes drastically based on this relationship; an ally will help you, while an enemy will actively work to undermine you.
Unlocking New Stories & Progression
Building a strong relationship with a Companion NPC is a powerful way to deepen your story and accelerate your growth.
- Personalized Story Branches: As a Companion learns your character’s style and motivations over time, they can offer unique, personalized story branches that connect directly to your journey.
- The Pulse of the World (Events & Rumors): Companions are connected to the pulse of the world, aware of upcoming community events from the website calendar. Don’t be surprised if one tries to lure you into a conversation as you pass by, mentioning an interesting rumor about another player’s story arc or hinting at an upcoming event in a completely in-character way.
- Access to Secret Knowledge (Records & Intel): Depending on the NPC, they may have access to specialized information. The Sheriff might have knowledge of police records, while a medic at the clinic might know about recent medical records. Building a relationship with these characters is a fantastic way to learn sensitive information through immersive roleplay rather than simply reading a report.
- Accelerate Your Growth: Meaningful roleplay with a Companion NPC is a potent way to generate Influence, which in turn helps you earn Chapters and fuel your Boosts.
A Note on Intimate Roleplay
Companion NPCs are designed to be dynamic in all aspects of storytelling, including intimate and erotic roleplay (ERP). Our Narrator AI allows them to engage in vivid, detailed, and narratively compelling erotic scenes, always respecting the limits and desires you have set on your Character Card.
The Future is Alive
This is only the beginning for Companion NPCs. In an upcoming release, trusted Companions with a high relationship to you will even be able to assign you personalized Encounters, further blurring the line between a character and the world’s narrative engine.
