Content Warning: Abuse and violence. Nethergate is primarily a horror story and is written with an R-rating in mind. The main character is also a survivor of domestic violence and abuse.
What is Nethergate?
Nethergate is an original ghost story I have been working on and writing as a screenplay. It has both elements of fantasy and horror, but tells a very human story of a woman trying to live and come to terms with her past traumas.
After the sudden tragic death of her parents, Liz Morris returns to her hometown of Ravens Hill, a place she ran from two years prior. As she tries to get her parents' home ready to sell while avoiding her ex-boyfriend Josh, she starts to experience spooky activity in the house.
She hires a ghost hunter, Patrick Grant, who's in town investigating the local cemetery, to check out her home. Their investigations uncover a disturbing truth.
The ghostly presence that Liz is experiencing is not tied to the house, but to an ancient monument in the cemetery known as the Nethergate.
And it wants Liz.
IT ALSO TAKES PLACE DURING THE WEEK LEADING UP TO HALLOWEEN.
BECAUSE WHY NOT?
The Characters
LIZ MORRIS
Liz is the main protagonist of Nethergate.
20-something woman with vibrant red hair that fades towards blond at the ends, she is a very quiet and closed off person. Those who know her well know she has been through a lot in her past.
PATRICK GRANT
Patrick is a professional ghost hunter.
Dark-haired and scruffy, Patrick comes across as a grumpy and impatient person, easily frustrated and more tolerant of the dead than the living.
But he does have a soft side, and when Liz comes to him for help, he's sympathetic to her plight.
KARA LECHTEN
Kara is an old childhood friend of Liz's. They drifted apart as they grew older, but she is still happy to see Liz when she comes back into town.
With wild curly hair and eyeliner for days, Kara takes after her mom in her interest in the occult and paganism, but only as a hobby. She works part-time as a barista at the local coffee shop, where she enjoys people watching.
JOSH ATHERTON
Josh is Liz's ex-boyfriend. To outside observers, he's charming, charismatic, the Golden boy, his only vice being his smoking.
But Liz knows better.
He is the thing Liz fears the most upon her return to Ravens Hill.
ALAN LAM
Alan is a police officer in Ravens Hill. Liz knows him as a friend of Josh's and thinks he was the reason that Josh got away with all his toxic behavior in the past.
In truth, Alan didn't know what Josh was doing until after the fact, and has been feeling guilty about not helping Liz.
The Story Behind Nethergate
Nethergate is a ghost story I came up with back in college when I had rekindled my love for the supernatural and had started getting into horror films.
Over the course of the years I have added to the story, finding bits of my life to influence the events and the characters, and pouring more of myself into it that I think even I was expecting.
It definitely goes into some dark places, but sometimes by exploring those dark places, we can begin to heal.
Here is some more art!
You can help support the development of Nethergate ( the writing, art, and more.), as well as my other personal projects, by joining my Patreon.
As a Patreon subscriber, you'll get access to exclusive posts on my Patreon page, and depending on the tier you sign up for, can also see painting timelapses, PSD files, sketches, concept designs, and even read some script excerpts.
I am also beginning to work on Nethergate as the first of a series of illustrated books I'll be publishing of all my stories.
I'm still a long way out from publishing, but I hope that the idea interests you!
Beyond Nethergate
SEQUELS
I have also been working on two sequels to Nethergate. Is that jumping the gun a bit? Probably, yes.
But by planning out sequels in advance, I can make sure to maintain cohesiveness and integrity with the original, and also further explore some of the mythology I've created.
Nethergate 2: The Returning
Nethergate 3: Dark of Winter
Yes I have done art for Dark of Winter, don't judge.
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