Christmas war

The Christmas War was originally a short story I started writing, involving a war between humanity and the Fae. It has since evolved into the plotline for a survival-horror game. The concept of a Fae-Human war has remained in the game plot, along with the overwhelming odds that humanity would face in such a war. Additional elements have been added, to make the story much more survival oriented. The title, however, is a bit of a misnomer, being based on America's misinterpretation of the war (beginning on the winter solstice) being waged around Christmas time.

Plot
John Caridian, an American soldier, returns from Afghanistan to spend Chanukah with his family. When the solstice arrives, John is woken by air raid sirens going off in his town. Turning on the radio he learns of an attack taking place in a near by city. An evacuation order is given, and John leads his family from their home to join with the rest of the town's population as it heads away from the city. John returns to the town to join with the local police who intend to help the defenders against the attack. Learning of his military record, the police arm John with a pistol and give him a ballistic vest for protection, as well as a flashlight and a walkie-talkie tuned to the police frequency. He joins the police in an SUV and they begin their drive to the city.

The police convey is attacked while driving through a forest on its way. The first police car in the convoy is destroyed by a half seen creature of massive size. The officers exit their vehicles and inspect the wreckage of the first car. The officers within are dead, and the car itself is shattered. There is no sign of whatever destroyed the car. While the police discuss what had destroyed the car they are attacked from both sides by armoured Fae mounted on giant elk and armed with spears. The Fae Hunters are half-invisible, being only visible for brief moments before vanishing again. Several of the officers are killed or injured during the attacks, and the remaining vehicles are either destroyed or damaged. John joins the survivors as they attempt to continue to the city on foot.

John and the police fight off several more attacks, losing more men in each one. The surviving officers scavenge the ammunition from their fallen comrades, allowing them to push further into the forest.They eventually reach another town, along the road to the city. This town is also largely evacuated, though an Army Reserve force has stopped for fuel. The officers join the Reservists and explain what they encountered within the woods. Several of the surviving wounded officers are treated by the Reservists' medic. Though disbelieving at first, the Reservist officer is convinced when the medic explains the nature of the officers' injuries. John steps forward to speak with the Reserve officer, but is interrupted by an explosion at the gas station. John, the police officers, and the Reservists rush to the station to find two of the troop trucks burning and the pumps destroyed. A troll, possibly the same one that destroyed the first police car, rampages through the town. Many of the Reservists are killed, including the Reservist Officer. John is able to pick up and use the Reservist Officer's assault rifle. The troll is eventually killed, at great cost to the Reservists: their Officer is dead, along with many of their soldiers, and their trucks have been destroyed by the explosion at the gas station.

John and the police join the surviving Reservists, who decide to head away from the city after hearing radio broadcasts from the last of its defenders. They agree to head out to an armory located in the next town, where the Reservists had come from. The Reservists scavenge several abandoned cars in the town and begin driving toward the next town. The convoy is forced to stop, however, by a giant tree growing in the center of the road and blocking both lanes. The Reservists abandon their vehicles and begin walking on foot. They soon encounter a farm that has become overgrown with an old-growth forest. Despite the ancient trees growing from the farmhouse, barn, and fields, there are clear signs of recent habitation. One of the Reservists remarks that the farm hadn't been overgrown when the unit passed through it on their way to the city. John and the soldiers cautiously make their way into the farm, searching for survivors.

They decide to search the farmhouse first, and make their way into it. Moss grows along the walls and floors of the house, and water trickles down the stairs from the second floor. The soldiers are attacked by a swarm of giant centipedes when they reach the second floor. Several of the soldiers are killed and dragged off down a hallway before the attack ends, and the survivors flee the building. When the soldiers exit the farmhouse they find that the forest has grown denser, and they can no longer see the road. John and the soldiers hear a low growling coming from the barn and attempt to flee the farm. Before they can reach the tree line a giant wolf bursts from the barn and charges after them. The direwolf reaches the slowest of the soldiers and tears the man apart before continuing after the rest of the Reservists. The survivors turn to fight, but many are killed before the wolf runs back into the forest.

The few survivors remaining resume their journey through the forest. Though they encounter no further attacks they continue to receive radio reports of other attacks. The survivors reach the town with the armory to find it overgrown by forest. The armory remains, but it has been covered by vines and a treetop rises from its shattered roof. John and the survivors make their way toward the armory, but are attacked by Hunters riding direwolves. The remaining survivors are killed during the ensuing fight, leaving John as the sole survivor. He flees the Hunters and manages to enter the armory. There he finds several grenades and the entrance to a tunnel carved from rough stone. With the Hunters attempting to follow him into the armory, John chooses to descend into the tunnel, hoping to find an exit somewhere beyond the town.

Weapons
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The Overlay
The worlds of Faerie and Earth are in the process of Overlaying each other. Features of both worlds merge together as time goes on. The Overlay happens at a remarkable rate, merging the two worlds almost completely in the course of a single night. The cause of the Overlay is unknown, though it has been linked to the World Tree found by John.

The World Tree
A massive tree growing in an American North East city. The World Tree grows at the city's northern edge and dominates the landscape, with a canopy towering over the clouds and spreading for miles. The Tree has multiple tiers of canopy that expand ever outward as they reach further into the sky.

The Hero
Full Name: John Andrew Caridian

Occupation: Lance Corporal, US Marine Corps

John is an American Marine, on leave during Chanukah. He served during Operation Khanjar in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. He has two sons, a fourteen year old named Andrew, and a seven year old named Alexander. He is married to Melissa Caridian, formerly Melissa Picard. John's father, Andrew Caridian, died shortly after his birth. John is a practicing Sephardic Jew, while Melissa hails from the Ashkenazi tradition.

Level One
The player begins the game in his home town, a generic town in North Eastern America. The game begins with a cutscene where John helps evacuate his family. The player gains control of him after he speaks to the police. The player is given a chance to figure out the controls of the game before getting into the SUV. Their ammo is unlimited, as the police have set up a table with extra ammunition. Once the player gets into the SUV the game begins in earnest. Initial enemies in the forest are largely invisible, able to be seen for a moment before they vanish again. Ammunition is still unlimited until the player leaves the ruined convoy. The player and the surviving police officers are subject to continued assault by Hunters as they travel through the woods.

When the player reaches the second town they are able to interact with Reservist soldiers. They can explore the town, and bits of broadcasts from besieged defenders across the area come through on the radio. The boss battle, against a half-invisible Troll, is triggered by the player speaking with the Reservist Officer. The Reservist Officer dies a scripted death, and the player is able to pick up his rifle. At the end of the battle the player can scavenge ammunition from fallen soldiers and police officers.

The player and the surviving soldiers and police officers scavenge abandoned cars and begin to drive.