Bonus Content - BotL Subplots IV

Hey everyone!

This month, we have the last of the previews for BotL. As always, these are subject to change, and in the case of these particular subplots, they may be cut short or absent from the game entirely depending on what you choose, because they both have to do with the PC's parents!

Also as always, big spoilers to follow.

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First, let's talk about Demeter!

So obviously some PCs will have attempted to cut their mother out of their life entirely, depending on how the player headcanons the relationship and how the character in that context reacted to some of Demeter's choices in the last game. In those cases, the first 'flag' for the subplot will still come up—that is, Demeter will still send them a letter near the start of the story, and the PC will be given a chance to soften their stance towards her just a little bit, but they also don't have to.

If the PC wants Demeter out of their life, out of their life she will stay. If they're open to reconciliation, or maintained a good relationship with her in the last game, however, a subplot follows:

1: Has either been out of touch until now, or in touch; sends letter asking if she can visit.
2: If you grant her permission, Demeter visits the Underworld
3: Visits a second time, and this time brings Maia with her. Hermes is understandably distraught at her condition
4: In trouble with Zeus, needs a place to let him cool down; suggest either Underworld or mortal realm.
5: Apologises for everything before; commits to being a better parent to you… a more honest one who will not try to shield you from things unless you ask her to.
6: Depending on choices, decides to return to Olympus to be the counterweight Zeus needs, stay mostly on the mortal realm, stay mostly in the Underworld.

As you can see, this is fairly vague except for some key bits, which is intentional. There will likely be a fair bit of variation in how all these things go depending on the PC's relationship with her. But the choice at the end that wraps things up is, I thought, sort of fun, in that she can end up living in the mortal realm or even in the Underworld. The full implications of any such choice are left to the reader to headcanon, but I do imagine the Underworld would change a fair bit for her presence.

And then, of course, there is the long-lost dad in the room: Iasion. He was originally going to appear as part of the Trojan War plot, and canonically he is still fighting in it right now, but he was always destined to die in it, so I've just moved that part up in the timeline a little bit.

Most of his story in fact, takes place after his death... provided the PC engages with it, and eventually makes a pretty key choice that calls back to a mythological story about Dionysus.

1: Hello, I believe I am your father.
2: Getting to know you/I wanted to apologise. For never having met you before.
3: Taken out of queue/not taken out
4: Conversion to deityhood/forgetting and reintroduction
5: What kind of relationship would you like to have, going forward?/I feel like I know you, do you know me?

That choice, specifically, being taking Iasion out of the line for oblivion, judgement, and so on and making him a god. (Dionysus in some stories actually did this in the case of his mortal mother.)

The PC can still interact with Iasion in the event they don't make this decision, but it will have a tinge of bittersweetness to it, as he forgets his exact relationship to them. Or, of course, they can choose not to engage with him at all.

For a certain confluence of choices in both of these subplots, there's even a sub-subplot where Demeter and Iasion meet again, interact, and may or may not repair their relationship. All of it really comes down to whether the PC wants to reach out to one or both or neither of them, and in what way that happens.

I'm hoping it'll be pretty interesting to play, and I'm looking forward to writing it, even if I suspect it'll get pretty complicated pretty fast.