A hidden enclave exists within the boundaries of Wuhan. Seemingly secluded from the rest of the mainland since the Qing Dynasty, it appears to encompass impossibly millions of acres. This land of Diyukou has diverged into an eccentric capital serving an unfamiliar City God, one whose presence is very real. Language, technology, and even traditions have become almost mutually unintelligible to the modern world, and ravenous ghosts and creatures inhabit the woodlands. An impasse circling the enclave, the society has grown into rivaling city-states that can hardly sustain themselves and are all at the brink of collapse. A Turkic from outside entered the hellmouth seven years ago. The young individual, Pan, once a rising wrestler, now lives as an impoverished sellsword in the center of the brewing chaos. With still a bare grasp on the alien language and customs of these city-states, the player decides on Pan’s path for the four seasons.
The story would focus on the marginalization Pan faces not only as ethnic minority not only in the conventional sense, but in other facets of culture like technology and etc. Pan was forced to assimilate into a society with incredibly different moral standards. The story would also question the supposed purity of one’s culture, considering the wildly divergent cultures of Diyukou and its real life equivalent of Wuhan.
Notes:
-Pan is agender. In character customization, the player is able to select features that range across all genders, but will never select an actual gender. The game itself will only refer to Pan by name.
-Pan is a Uyghur. Appearance-wise, Pan has a Eurasian ancestry. Backstory-wise, Pan was raised a Muslim, but became agnostic prior to Pan’s entrapment in Diyukou. Diyukou, being a place with visible Gods, Pan’s view is more nuanced.