Story Abstract

The Capra of Malsburrow is a choice-driven visual narrative that follows the story of Noah F. Clue and Juno E. Blackthorn as they each try to rebuild their lives after hardship and loss.

Noah grew up fast, with an absent father and a chronically ill mother. He spent most of his youth working to keep them both afloat. After his mother's death from cancer, he's left with nothing but debt and a house on the brink of foreclosure. With no real options left, Noah accepts help from his estranged aunt, Stacy Clue, who lives in Alimos, a city in the northern province of Elderbloom. Alimos lies just beyond the Great Divide, the vast geographic and cultural split between the Mënskan and Taijekan peoples.

But Noah's plans are cut short when his car breaks down in Timbermaw, deep in Taijekan territory where no Mënskan would dare to go. He ends up in the town of Malsburrow, a quiet inland port town with a small, tight-knit community. Here, he meets Adam Finch, a mechanic by trade, Mënskan by appearance, and Taijekan by choice. Working alongside Adam is Luca Wynn, a Crowned Greywolf Taijekan who immediately takes a liking to Noah.

As Noah adjusts to life in Malsburrow, he finds himself forming connections in unexpected places and facing the deep cultural divides that shape the world around him. Some residents, like Luca, are welcoming from the start. His twin sister, Chloe Wynn, shares that warmth, though she brings far more mischievous energy to every interaction than her thick-skulled brother.

Through the twins, Noah is introduced to Iris Holloway, a sharp-eyed Elderan Felis Taijekan, and one of their closest friends. Iris, Chloe, and Luca are all passionate about street racing, a hobby they've seemingly carved out for themselves just by existing in everyday life. This makes Noah start to see pieces of a life he never imagined—one built not just on survival but community and connection—something he longed for.

One relationship, however, stands apart from the rest. Juno E. Blackthorn, an Anglo-Nubian Taijekan with a quiet, guarded presence, doesn't enter Noah's life through introduction or coincidence, but through his curiosity. They first meet at the Malsburrow Public Library, where Juno works part-time. She's reserved, self-reliant, and often blunt, mirroring the parts of Noah he rarely lets others see. One of the first things he notices about her is her prosthetic leg, something she brushes off with a dry smile and a practiced line: "Just an accident."

At first, their lives run parallel. Both focused on sorting themselves out, neither looking to rely on anyone else. But things shift when Noah meets Adrian Graves, a Taijekan whose presence is tied closely to Juno. He's only ever seen with her, and almost universally disliked by everyone else in their friend group. On the surface, Adrian seems gentle and attentive, someone who cares deeply for Juno. But that image quickly cracks. Behind closed doors, Noah overhears their conversations: subtle, toxic manipulations layered under words of "comfort."

Juno doesn't trust him, not truly. She despises what he does to her and how he speaks to her, but she remains bound to him. Where others offer her only "tough love," Adrian gives her something easier: comfort without expectations. It's false kindness, but it's the only kind she's been allowed to keep. The longer she stays, the harder it becomes to imagine living without it.

This is where Noah takes his first real step forward. Unlike others, he doesn't act out of bias or bitterness. He doesn't try to confront Adrian with force or judgment. He acts calmly, without drama, to put distance between Juno and the man quietly unraveling her. To Juno, that means more than any loud gesture. She doesn't want a battle. She just wants a way out. And Noah, unknowingly, gives her that.

From then on, Juno starts to lean on him. Is it dependency? Maybe. But to Noah, she's a friend who accepts him without expectation, just as he accepts her. They're alike, alone in the world, but not lonely. He finds comfort in her quiet presence, and she finds peace knowing he doesn't ask her to be anyone but herself.

But reality catches up with Noah. As much as he wants to believe he's found peace with friends, a place to stay, and a growing bond with Juno, he knows he's only in Malsburrow by chance. His debts will only grow, and there's no stable job keeping him afloat. Eventually, he starts to feel the pressure again, the sense that he has no real future here and may have to leave and return to a life of scraping by.

That is, until Iris, usually fiercely protective of Juno and straight to the point, comes to see the quiet change in her friend. For the first time in a long while, Juno is smiling, softer, more herself. Iris acknowledges what Noah has done, something she couldn't manage: bringing Juno back in one piece. As a gesture of thanks, she offers him a small corner of her flower shop to start something of his own.

Despite being far from a professional, Noah has always enjoyed tailoring and making clothes. With Iris's help, he begins creating garments for the Taijekan community. Slowly, his life started to take root, and he had a stable income, a sense of belonging, and a group of people who genuinely cared for him. Malsburrow may not be his hometown, and its culture may be far from what he's used to, but for the first time, he feels like he truly fits in.

But peace rarely lasts without war, and Adrian Graves refuses to let go.

Fueled by jealousy and a deep, festering hatred, Adrian begins a campaign to destroy everything Noah has built. He spreads doubt, sabotages everything he can, and manipulates others to turn against him. This hatred builds into a bitter, quiet war that threatens to pull his small group of friends apart.

Adrian isn't just bitter either, he's dangerous. Tied to a criminal gang known as The Hallowfang, he holds sway over Malsburrow's underbelly, operating out of the neglected district known as The Stacks. Beneath the town, in forgotten tunnels and sewer networks. While Adrian is no leader of the Hallowfang, he knows what he wants, and will do whatever it takes to get it. By now, his goal isn't just to push Noah out or kill him off; it's to erase him from existence entirely.

This is the story of Noah F. Clue, a man who began with nothing and now must find the strength to stand for himself, his friends, his future, and the Capra of Malsburrow.