The King's Hound
Last Updated on 7/01/2025: Chapter 2
Total wordcound: 50k words (average playthrough of 40k words)
The King's Hound is a text-based fantasy game in the form of an interactive fiction where you play as the legendary King Arthur Pendragon's spouse. The game will be released chapter by chapter and it will remain free to play until its completion. This story's main themes are platonic bonding and character developement during the span of many years. As such, you will be able to interact with the ROs both romantically and platonically, with relationships that will evolve during your years spent in Camelot.
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SUMMARY
You are the King’s spouse, his right and left hand, the unstoppable executor of his will. Your name is whispered by enemies and allies with fear and respect alike, some says it’s your arm that bears the weight of the entire kingdom.
They call you the King’s hound. It started as a way to taunt you but it’s not that far away from the truth. Your loyalty is blind, your devotion absolute. The King’s vision is your vision.
Your name will forever mark history alongside theirs.
But for now, you are being shipped to your betrothed, alone and powerless on your way to Camelot.
As the seventh child of the Venegard House, you’ve always had little to look forward to other than an arranged marriage to achieve a political alliance. That’s exactly why, after your parents lost the rebellion against King Arthur, you were the one sent to him as a sign of newfound peace.
You don’t know what awaits you now, but after you Camelot will never be the same.
LOVE INTERESTS
King Arthur (he/they pronouns)
The noble, compassionate and fair leader of Camelot. Protective and respectful, Arthur is going to give you as much freedom, space and support as you may need. Play your cards right and, if you choose to be their spouse only by name, they’ll become a very supportive wingman. No matter what you’ll be to them, you are enchanted by their vision from the moment you understand what they are fighting for. You know you’ll stand by their side no matter what. [25yo]
Knight Yniol (M/F/NB)
One of the knights at the Round Table, almost 6’6” (2.00m) and the only one who fights with a spear, Yniol could be intimdating at first, but only to those who do not know how much they care for every single one of you. Composed and focused, they are the most gentle knight you’ll ever have the pleasure to meet. They’ve had their eyes on you from the moment you first arrived to Camelot and, close or not, you are now under their protection. [26yo]
Knight Evaine (M/F/NB)
The most mysterious knight of the Round Table. You know they hide something under that carfree attitude because their façade craks most often than not. They recover fast, but every time their eyes are lost in the void at your shoulders a bit longer. They treat you like something fragile and delicate but maybe that’s the care they need themselves. Despite what some other knights say about them, they are not careless at all. In fact, all their movements and words are carefully measured, expecially around you. [24yo]
The physician Morien (M/F/NB)
They are the caring, if a bit pragmatic, physician of the Round Table knights. Reserved and, at times, abrasive, they bear in their eyes the horror of a war that should never have happened. Despite this, or maybe because of this, you feel like they are one of the only one who can understand what you’ve gone through. They could become your most trusted confidant or, if you want, you could be for eachother the support pillar you both desperately need. [27yo]
Your personal servant Gwyar (M/F/NB)
They are the one who’s been tasked with assisting you, and they have all the intention to make you feel comfortable and secure under their care. Born in the wild lands, they have traveled many miles towars Camelot in search of a future at court. Understanding, even while mantaining the proper distance, they will remain composed and mildly humorous until you show them signs of your interest. Expect them to be one of the most flattering and tender of all the ROs. [22yo]
Poly routes: Arthur/Gwyar, Arthur/Evaine, Morien/Gwyar, Morien/Yniol.
FEATURES
- Costumize your gender, pronouns and sexuality.
- Take Mordred, the young bearer of powerful magic, under your wing and let this bond heal the both of you.
- Train two beautiful hounds as loyal dogs and emotional support animals, just because you can.
- Pursue a romance with King Arthur or one of the other four Ros. Or, you could always direct your affections to more than one person (there are four total poly routes available).
- Become a living legend, your King’s most loyal shadow or his fiercest commander. You’ll be given many names, it all depends on how you play this dangerous game of chess
Development log
- Chapter two - second half RELEASEJan 07, 2025
- DelayNov 21, 2024
- Rewritten demo update - NO NEW contentOct 31, 2024
- Chapter Two - first half RELEASEApr 04, 2023
- Chapter one - second half RELEASEMay 04, 2022
- Game optimized for mobile usersFeb 23, 2022
Comments
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urghh so good! came back to read for a second time hoping there was more, pls continue!
Really like it so far! Can't wait to see where the story goes
PEAK???
I beg of you, more please.
hoping this is still being worked on!
I absolutely adore this though i wonder if it will be finished
i cannot wait for the next chapters, i am already getting ready to romance both Arthur and Evaine lol
Me too! ;
I’ve really liked it so far, and I’ll patiently wait for updates. I do have some thoughts about a particularly weird way I tend to play IFs (at least on my first playthrough), but you already seem to have half a solution for it built into the story.
In my first playthrough of any IF, I usually pick stoic, logical, pragmatic, and emotionally detached choices. I like getting to know the characters while keeping my own character emotionally inaccessible, so I can make better choices later depending on which RO route I want to follow in future playthroughs.
My usual issue is that almost no one expects readers to choose the “solo” route, so most of the time (though I have found exceptions) we eventually get forced into scenes with one of the ROs being kind and supportive because the MC is going through a rough time. That can feel a little strange when my character never really became friends with any of the ROs in the first place.
That’s where your story already has the issue half-fixed: the MC deeply cares about their sibling, and that relationship could naturally fill that emotional role if we aren’t pursuing any RO routes.
Then again, I do tend to play in weird ways during my first run xD. But I also genuinely enjoy seeing how the story handles a character who rejects everyone. I mean, if the option is there, I’m going to pick it just to see what happens, right?
Other than that, I really love the story as a whole, and the premise is very interesting. Defeated rebellion survivors being forced to serve the king because he was merciful enough not to execute them all is such a compelling setup. Although some of the characters’ reactions toward us feel a bit soft at times, I can understand that it’s probably more along the lines of, “I trust my king and his decisions,” rather than, “How could you let those traitors live?”
I sound like I’m ranting, don’t I? Sorry, that’s really not my intention at all. It was a very enjoyable read, and if your goal was to keep a lighter tone and a feeling of “if you keep moving forward, you’ll get there eventually,” then you absolutely nailed it. That’s definitely the vibe I got while reading.
I love how gentle this story is, even though the characters have gone through bad things. Soft LI's who help the mc through their trauma is a guilty pleasure of mine :) I do hope this project hasn't been dropped, but I also hope that you, author, are doing well!
I was very interested in the setting and our story, but tbh once I got into I did not like it. Mainly cause everyone is too damn nice! My whole family and I rebelled against the king. We killed, I assume, many of them. Like ok maybe the King is a nice guy, whatever, but every damn knight and servant and whoever I meet?? Like, come on, bruh, give me someone who doesn't like me.
Hi, I understand your criticism. The reason why the story was written that way, aside from in-game motifs, is that I wanted to write something purposefully on the comforting, softer side. This game is very personal, and so I understand that the choices I made will not be liked by every reader. Thank you anyway for trying it out!
That's fair enough. Good luck on future development o7
this was absolutely wonderful and I hope there is more eventually! The writing was delicious and the characters were so interesting and wonderful <3
THERE'S ONLY TWO CHAPTERS?!?!
NOOOOOOOOOOO
I NEED MOOOOREEEE
This is such a lovely game. I've been following it's progress here and there and I do hope that it continues because it's very beautifully written. I wish the creator the best of luck writing.
i just love the tenderness that is in the way you write your characters' relationships. i feel like this games is my safe space
I am eating this story up like carbonara, gang. I am seriously enjoying it🙏
I loved this story so much. Is there a full completed version?
Being that the last update was in January, does anyone know if this is still being worked on? Even the tumblr doesn't seem to have recent posts
Hi! The game is still being worked on and will not be abandoned anytime soon, the updates are just bound to be very irregular due to my schedule irl and some chronic health issues.
Awesome, thanks for the reply Kal, I appreciate it.
for 99.4% of the time, I hd only one choice. If I wanted to read a book, with no choices, I could read a book. I wanted to make choices and shape my own story but I couldn't. so I give up.
Gwyar <3
10/10 game can't wait for more
God, this is so good! I want it so much!
can't wait for the completion!
loved this one so much
Very interesting game!! I will wait for it to be finished!
This game has managed to captivate me for sure, and I'm really eager to see how things unfold! Definitely want to romance Arthur of course, but also really curious about what poly routes are gonna be available! (Hoping for Arthur and Yniol honestly XD)
The poly routes are: Arthur/Gwyar, Arthur/Evaine, Morien/Gwyar, Morien/Yniol.
The author has mentioned on their Tumblr that the currently listed poly pairings are not final and are subject to change, though I don't know if that's what OP is referring to
Dude this game is soo good, well made and engaging makes me so excited for chapter 3 and what happens next with the different romances and stories. Hope chapter 3 comes soon! (BTW your writing style is chefs kiss)
Amazing. When I first saw Mordred, I was like
Absolutely lovely first two chapters of this game! It's definitely interesting to see what can change from playthrough to playthrough. I'm looking forward to the development! Beautifully done!
i cant WAIT to romance morien
I am actually an addict. This was so well-written that I couldn't keep my eyes off of it. Loved the work!
i will still wait for u my beloved yniol
Loved whats there and the concept. I hope there's more to come
Enjoying this a lot so far. Hope to see more!
Does anyone know if the project is still active? :)
Hi, the project is still active, it will be until I make an announcement of discontinuing it (if the day ever comes), however know that updates aren't regular due to it being an hobby project
Amazinggg
Oh this is deeply engaging and very well written.
The pure thought put into each character, I live. The pure gender of Arthur, and dear baby Mordred, and the impressive competence of so many different characters and Ghaven and Cat hair (Ghaven is winning at life)... I live. Absolutely will continue to follow and buy when it's complete.
My friend brought me in and I blazed through both chapters in a day. I'm gonna have to do so many runs bc I already adore every route possibility.
I want CHAPTER THREE BADLY !! hahaha much encouragement from Spain !!
In my headcanon, our character is the Merlin of this universe until proven otherwise hahaha Seriously now, Is Merlin in the game or will he be in the game later on ? I'm absolutely loving the game specially as it feels super natural and dynamic the fact that our character can change and develop so I can choose to start as a:
(SPOILERS)
<cold rageful and sad person that hates camelot and is only loyal to his own family and start to warm up (cold showers suck) and actually see if he can be more than just a killer and be the general/monster that Camelot needs... Honestly his redemption is being carried by mordred I want to adopt him for real.>
Considering that the MC's suggested names are all based on Guinevere, it is most likely that the MC is the universes Guinevere :P
Yeah, you're absolutely right. Didn't think about her as I don't recall her having any magical or martial prowess, but you've got a good point.
Very very fun ! I enjoy the options to be rude And I love getting to see such in depth options to be trans !
I LOVE IT AJKMXAJSLAS
Looking forward to seeing where this goes! ngl would be interested in a romancing Bedivere option just for the spice and hatred of it all. Also I misread the one character who is in a wheelchair's name as the Irish for "chair" (you're one letter off) and was like. that's blunt! But fear not it was just my own speed-reading error. Anyway thanks for writing this, I'm enjoying it so far :)
I feel like it would make 0 sense for Bedivere to be romance able- I mean would u be with someone who disfigured your face, traumatising and almost killing you in a war? I sure as heck wouldn't. I feel like most people wouldn't even truly forgive you for such a thing and if they do that's a miracle in itself let alone dating.