Maids & Masters [v0.16] [The Mithril Hourglass]

October 6, 2024F95

Decades ago, an Estate was attacked by Servants of an unknown Master. Their only goal seemed to be the deaths of everyone on the grounds. There were no survivors. Our protagonist Master had been kept away from the destruction by his uncle, who raised him. With no one left alive to explain why he had to grow up an orphan, he returns home with a single Servant – his childhood friend – seeking to rebuild his family Estate and take revenge on whoever tried to burn it to the ground. And hopefully build a harem of cute Maids along the way~

Thread Updated: 2024-10-05

Release Date: 2024-10-04

Developer: The Mithril Hourglass – Patreon – SubscribeStar – Website – Twitter – Bluesky – Itch.io

Censored: No

Version: 0.16

OS: Windows, Mac

Language: English

Prequel: Maids & Masters: Arrival

Other Games: Love/Loss – Redemption Harem – Light Eternal: Dawnfall

Genre:

3DCG, 2D Game, Animated, Male Protagonist, Anal Sex, Big Tits, BDSM, Creampie, Exhibitionism, Futa/Trans, Groping, Group Sex, Handjob, Harem, Interracial, Male Domination, Female Domination, Lesbian, Oral Sex, Pregnancy, Sex Toys, Titfuck, Vaginal Sex, Virgin, Voyeurism, Adventure, Fantasy, Humor, Puzzle, Romance, RPG, Turn Based Combat

Installation:

Extract and run.

Changelog:

Added the next story segment – the Ambrose Estate. Including:

– A new Estate to explore, including Ambrose City, featuring multiple unique shops.

– Some shops allow the direct purchase of equipment, other shops offer special events.

– The opportunity to recruit a third optional Maid – Iris.

– The fifth cult segment, featuring new repeatable scenes unique to the cult segment.

– Several new trophies, both for new and existing content.

Added an event to the 1st floor of the Ambrose Tower Hold to explain the door on your first visit.

Added the missing Trophy entries for partially implemented trophies.

Added Trophy 31, which can be earned in Uncle Gil’s Estate.

Added the first affection quest for June, Chloe, and Iris.

Added additional dialogue to Chloe’s love shack scene.

Added a secret boss fight related to Trophy to Lalita’s hidden attic.

Fixed a customization bug where the wrong statue could appear outside the servant quarters.

Fixed a customization bug where the wrong statue could appear outside the guest house.

Fixed a bug that caused the Location entry for the South Mountains to not be discovered.

Fixed a bug that prevented June’s love shack animation from being displayed properly.

Fixed a bug that prevented Chloe’s fireside chats from becoming available at the love shack.

Fixed a bug that caused an image to not display correctly during Chloe’s love shack scene.

Updated a handful of things in the trophy room, mostly for clarity and ease of use.

Updated the Trophy Codex to match changes to partially implemented trophies.

Updated Lalita’s hidden attic to have an indication of progress toward unlocking the secret boss.

Updated Tiny Spiders to have less health, but an increased chance of inflicting poison.

Removed the “end of content” message from v0.15.

Various other minor dialogue and event updates.

Added the first affection quest for all Maids except June and Chloe.

– Affection quests become available once Act 2 is started by meeting with Evdokia.

– All affection quests require that Maid’s affection score to be at least 25 before triggering.

– Some quests have an additional unlock requirement, such as completing an Act 2 segment.

– Rewards vary; some only increase affection, some are generic, others have unique rewards.

– Unique rewards include new scenes, random events, Estate customizations, and more.

Added a bugfix feature to discover Emily’s Estate Info entry on entering her shop.

Added additional “invisible walls” to Clannestad to prevent possible crashes.

Added more locations for the effect of Trophy 27 to take place.

Fixed a bug that caused the sprite for Trophy 27 to not appear in the trophy room.

Fixed a bug where teleporting out of the Hold near Ventíre would put you in a Haunt map.

Fixed a bug that could disable random events in the library after completing the second Haunt.

Fixed a bug where the Homing Stone may provide options it isn’t intended to provide.

Fixed a bug that made Vendra think she was pregnant when she wasn’t.

Fixed bugs that caused Auda to say the wrong number when you gave or took stored supplies.

Updated Big Dick’s fence to not mention Chicken 69 when you’re not near him.

Updated the player Estate’s upper floor event randomizer to accommodate affection quests.

Updated several minor things in Lalita’s Estate to accommodate her affection quest.

Updated the Love Shack instance of Punchinella to tell you the present Maid’s affection score.

Updated some infrastructure that affects how Ivy changes the Estate garden.

Updated the June Cowgirl and Chloe Standing scenes to be properly replayable.

Various other minor map, dialogue, and event updates.

Added color coding to Orders being issued by Masters.

Added a hidden Unique Recipe to the Beckett Estate.

Added love shack content for Vicky, June, Chloe, Setri, Caitlainn, and Celine.

Added a way to obtain Trophy 26 after completing the Beckett Estate.

Fixed a bug that caused a door in the Stebbing Estate to go from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor.

Fixed a number of bugs where skills meant only for combat were usable outside of combat.

Fixed a bug that may cause combat with a rat to trigger when importing a save from Arrival.

Fixed a bug that could cause Emily’s arrival event to not trigger when teleporting home.

Fixed a bug that caused June and Chloe to appear in the war room before being recruited.

Fixed a bug that prevented Mysterious Murder from being added to the task list.

Fixed a bug that could cause the Bancroft dinner event to restart during questioning.

Fixed a bug that caused the first animation in Katrina’s third scene to not play correctly.

Fixed a bug that may cause Vendra’s fireside images to not correctly display her pregnancy.

Updated the age gate question to be more clear about why the README is important.

Updated XP values for boss enemies to be higher.

Updated the nameplate outside the empty room to update when the room is no longer empty.

Updated some of Summer’s face portraits to better match what she’s saying.

Updated the Trophy Codex to use a variable that won’t affect static random events.

Updated Heavy Strike to have the same cost as its counterpart, Warded Strike.

Updated Love Shack interactions to give two affection points instead of one.

Removed the “end of version” message that was mistakenly left in from v0.14.

Various other minor dialogue and event updates.

Added the next main story segment – the remnant of an Estate that played both sides of a war.

– A new Estate to explore, including dozens of new optional challenge fights in an arena.

– A new trophy, awarded for becoming the champion of said arena.

– The fourth cult investigation segment.

Added an abandoned house to Magach.

Fixed a bug that caused wake-up events to occur before the Maid’s affection was high enough.

Fixed a bug that caused some Estate grounds statues to not change when customized.

Fixed another handful of bugs that caused the player sprite to be temporarily incorrect.

Fixed a bug that caused the second half of Quinn’s Freeze event to replay after completion.

Fixed an incorrect hint description for the eastern puzzle of Farquhar’s hold.

Fixed a bug that caused the sword butler fight to not trigger in the Bancroft dungeon.

Fixed a bug that may cause Melissa’s extra Freeze scene to not trigger correctly.

Fixed a bug that caused Insulting Blast to debuff the incorrect enemy stats.

Fixed a bug in the second Adelade conversation that caused the screen to never fade back in.

Fixed a bug that caused the new equipment event to appear in Emily’s shop when it shouldn’t.

Fixed a bug where Emily’s shop gave out too many Experimental Concoctions the first time.

Updated Emily in Act 2 to explain why your free samples stopped coming in.

Updated several customizable Estate statues to have dialogue and fix a “turning” issue.

Updated experience values of Sword Butler, Assassin Maid, and Cave Bear.

Various other minor dialogue and event updates.

Added the next main story segment – a vineyard that delves into Phoebe’s past… and yours.

– A new Estate to explore and two new Maids to recruit with a total of four new scenes.

– A new trophy that provides a special Contract for Experimental Concoctions.

– The third cult investigation segment.

Added a bugfix feature to Trophy 30’s plaque in the trophy room to discover its Estate Info entry.

Added a version of Kala’s extra Freeze objective to Cumhaill if Deirlinn is close to giving birth.

Added Freeze interactions for all Maids to pregnant Deirlinn in Cumhaill.

Added missing interaction events to the Bancroft Estate guest wing.

Added a plugin to allow more than three options to appear on the title screen.

Added a bugfix to prevent being locked out of completing the Guiding Lost Souls side quest.

Added a bugfix feature to award Trophy 30 if the bear is already dead on entering the cave.

Fixed a bug that caused the Estate Info entry to not be added when Trophy 30 is earned.

Fixed a bug that caused a fireplace to provide infinite Scrap Wood.

Fixed a bug that caused Deirlinn’s birth phase to change instead of setting Vendra’s.

Fixed bugs that caused incorrect dialogue/character placement at the Bancroft Estate.

Fixed a bug that caused a maze reward to give Pearl Earrings when Pet Collar was stated.

Fixed a pair of infinite item bugs in the Amaira Estate guest houses.

Fixed a bug where the freed prisoner would repeat her initial dialogue.

Fixed a bug that caused some customized statues to disappear during the second Freeze.

Fixed more bugs that allowed the player to stand on wall and ceiling tiles.

Fixed a bug that may cause Trophy 30 to not be awarded correctly.

Fixed a number of missing interaction and wall/ceiling collision bugs.

Fixed a bug that caused the fourth objective of The Color Green to not complete correctly.

Fixed a handful of bugs that caused the player sprite to be temporarily incorrect.

Updated the Sword Butler in the dungeon to not attack from the other side of the wall.

Updated the Trophy 30 puzzle to remove an issue that could prevent earning the trophy.

Updated Vendra with new dialogue after Celtchar is born and to correctly use her own variables.

Updated title screen links to include itch.io.

Updated the dance puzzle hints to be more like dance instructions (and hopefully more helpful).

Various other minor dialogue, text, BGM, and event fixes and updates.

Added the next main story segment – a murder mystery at the Bancroft Estate. Including:

– Two new areas to explore – the Bancroft Estate and the village of Magach.

– Five new scenes for a new mother available as part of the story.

– A new trophy, awarded for correctly solving the mystery without Phoebe’s help.

– The first two cult investigation segments, infiltrating the cult you suspect killed your parents.

Added an “adult” disclaimer to the start of the game and the README.

Added a hidden area where Trophy 30 can be found, which unlocks more hidden areas.

Added fast travel options to Farquhar’s Estate, available after his segment is complete.

Added Lalita’s hidden attic, accessible after her Estate has been cleared out.

Added a new version of Jack’s house in Cumhaill to mirror progress at the Bancroft Estate.

Added new Estate events for the new mother available in Magach.

Fixed a bug where Iris’s images may not display correctly in Lalita’s mansion after the first time.

Fixed a bug where Alice would duplicate herself to make snow angels during the second Freeze.

Fixed a bug where the player may not be able to return to the Deep Wilds during Repairs Part 1.

Fixed a bug that caused the player to remain transparent after using Griselda’s secret chair.

Fixed a bug that may cause a missing image error viewing the baths from the Master Bedroom.

Fixed a handful of minor bugs concerning Panela’s behavior during the Freeze.

Fixed a bug that duplicated the “H” key in the input config settings.

Fixed a bug that sold Bulter’s Belt Contracts instead of Butler’s Boots Contracts.

Fixed a bug that may move the player to the wrong Folk caravan if Weighted Rolls is on.

Updated the Trophy Codex to open the README when the number 99 is entered.

Updated the “Commune” option for Trophy 12 to have content for Act 2.

Updated Emily to have new shop Contracts after completing both of the first two Act 2 Estates.

Updated acquiring Trophy 24 after completing the Read Estate to have intended requirements.

Updated the last step of Lalita’s segment to hide an additional objective to prevent text cutoff.

Various other minor map and event updates.

Added the next main story segment – Ella’s first Master. Including:

– Two new areas to explore – the Read Estate and the village of Roich.

– A new scene for Ella, a new potential mother, and new random Estate events for Vicky.

– Two new trophies and a new Hold with the biggest payout of any Hold so far.

Added a bugfix feature to correct the East & North Swamps Locations image (for real this time).

Added the gift system, allowing the affection scores of Maids that stay at the Estate to be raised.

Added “invisible walls” to prevent potential crashes from encounters triggering simultaneously.

Added more Trophy 23 encounters to existing maps.

Added a “spring festival” to Cumhaill, which is only active during the Grow.

Fixed a bug where Green With Rage may complete instead of The Color Green in the Task List.

Fixed a bug where the Scrap Wood in the Village Ruins fireplaces would ignite then extinguish.

Fixed a bug that caused the mountain path fast travel options to appear before being unlocked.

Fixed a bug that duplicated Teely’s Escort options in the final phase of the Estate.

Fixed a handful of bugs that allowed the player to stand on wall and ceiling tiles.

Fixed a handful of bugs that affected progression near the end of Viridius’ Aggression path.

Updated Summer’s face sheet and character bust to better match her character.

Updated Viridius to actually be gone after meeting him in Act 2.

Updated Trophy 23 encounters to not make the player jump, potentially trapping you in a wall.

Updated the incorrect description for the Heavy Duty Bottle Contract to be correct.

Updated region map border events to not cause Folk camps to disappear on interaction.

Updated Vicky’s room in the Servants’ Quarters to have unique interaction dialogue.

Updated Quinn to acknowledge when construction efforts have concluded.

Various other minor dialogue and event updates.

Added the next main story segment, introducing Act 2 and the final season – the Grow.

– Includes 22 new maps, a new trophy unique to the Grow, and a new Maid to recruit.

– The Grow adds new things to old areas, including more flowers to make hidden paths clearer.

Added a step to The Color Green and Green With Rage to clarify progression.

Added the hexagram scene for Willow and Bianca (plus a Haunt version) to their room.

Added a bugfix feature to discover missed Hold Writ entries on entering the relevant Hold.

Fixed a bug that prevented progression if the “skip” function was used in Repairs Part 1.

Fixed a bug that could cause a game crash after viewing Emily’s second scene.

Fixed bugs that could cause Emily’s animations to continue playing after the scene ends.

Fixed a missing image bug in the Edgerton Estate’s issue of Stay Clean Quarterly.

Fixed a missing image bug when communing with the Dark Mark after the first Freeze.

Fixed a bug that caused Melissa’s extra Freeze objective to not complete in some cases.

Fixed a bug that played Bianca’s dungeon table scene instead of her hedge maze scene.

Fixed a bug where the entries for some Hold Writs were not added to Estate Info.

Fixed missing image bugs for Iris and the random event in the Estate kitchen.

Fixed a bug where the Butler’s Tie would decrease maximum HP and TP instead of increase.

Fixed a bug that caused customizing the Master bedside table to not reflect correctly.

Fixed a number of bugs that caused some equipment items to appear in incorrect categories.

Fixed a bug that caused one of the Folk caravans to not correctly recognize Weighted Rolls.

Updated Cave Bats to have lower health and agility.

Updated the post-second-Freeze chats for Willow and Bianca.

Updated the cloth trader in the wilds near the Estate to complain if you try to trade 0 items.

Updated the Estate’s Master bedroom wardrobes to all work the same way.

Updated Headstone Material to be an inventory item so the amount can be viewed in the menu.

Various other minor event, map, Task List, and dialogue fixes and updates.

Known issue – existing saves that have completed the second Freeze will incorrectly display all of the objectives for Journey To The West in the Task List. This is corrected after completing the first objective. New saves and saves that have not reached this point are unaffected.

Reworked existing scenes to include animations, with additional changes for the following:

– Phoebe’s trophy scene has been rewritten, re-rendered, and has a unique ‘first time.’

– Deirlinn’s first scene has been rewritten and re-rendered.

– Phoebe’s first scene has been rewritten.

– Melissa’s first scene has been rewritten.

– Alice’s first scene has been rewritten.

– Jenny’s trophy scene has been rewritten.

– Jenny’s first scene has been rewritten.

– Quinn’s first scene has been rewritten.

– Willow’s first scene has been rewritten.

– Alice’s Freeze scene has been rewritten.

– Griselda’s repeatable scene has been updated with fades and sound effects.

Added a bugfix – interacting with Ivy at the Estate will correct her character bust in Estate Info.

Added a bugfix – entering the North Swamps will correct the incorrect image in Estate Info.

Added a plugin to address enemy states (buffs, debuffs, and ailments) not always being visible.

Added a plugin to allow a formation screen to be opened directly, rather than through the menu.

Added an event page to Bianca to allow her Freeze scene to be accessed outside the Freeze.

Added Melissa’s “teacup” conversation from Arrival to her possible fireside love shack chats.

Added new random Estate events for the library, Master bedroom, and Estate grounds.

Added a bugfix feature to correct the North Swamps Locations image on entering the region.

Added Setri’s first scene.

Added a spiderweb asset to indicate targets for a future trophy.

Removed an erroneous “Task Rundown” option, as this has been replaced by the Task List.

Fixed a bug where Phoebe wouldn’t appear as a follower during the first Freeze.

Fixed a bug that caused a missing image error when viewing a game save from a nomad camp.

Fixed many bugs that caused the player sprite to be temporarily incorrect.

Fixed a bug where it was possible to receive infinite Elixirs after hiding one in your clocks.

Fixed a bug where trophy 11 did not function as intended when used from the inventory.

Fixed a bug where entering the “drowned house” would transfer to Haunt maps incorrectly.

Fixed a couple of bugs where it was possible to walk on wall and ceiling tiles.

Fixed a bug where the player sprite would be the wrong costume after changing formation.

Fixed a bug where repairing bookshelves may place the player in an incorrect instance.

Fixed a bug where launching Auda’s Freeze scene would launch her first scene instead.

Fixed an image bug that could lock the game after final negotiations with Griselda.

Fixed a bug where Lalita would claim to wait outside during the Freeze and follow you anyway.

Fixed a bug where Odette’s dresses wouldn’t display images after completing her Freeze event.

Fixed a number of bugs that could prevent early progression if a save was imported from Arrival.

Fixed a bug that could prevent earning trophy 5 if a save was imported from Arrival.

Updated a gargoyle to prevent it from appearing and interrupting Griselda.

Updated several things to make the end of Baleflight Manor less likely to result in Game Over.

Updated Katrina’s room in the Servant Quarters to have descriptions like it’s Katrina’s room.

Updated the Servant’s Quarters exterior windows to better describe the room they look into.

Various other minor dialogue and event fixes and updates.

Ported the game from the VX Ace engine to the MZ engine.

– This means native mouse support, text skip, dynamic screen size, and more!

– Plugins have allowed information to be moved into new screens, mostly to Estate Info.

– A quest log has been added; this is the Task List in the menu.

– More feature information is available in Feature Information in the README.

Reworked a large amount of the dialogue and narration, some of which is completely rewritten.

Reworked the trophy hint system both for flavor and to provide more/clearer information.

Reworked file organization to take advantage of sub-folders.

Reworked the funeral event; several dialogue changes and it’s now completable without combat.

Reworked some quests so they’re more compatible with the new quest log plugin.

Reworked certain events for better characterization and to be more in line with the intended tone.

Reworked many skills to be more useful, more distinct, and to have better descriptions.

Added plugins to add features and improve quality of life. Check the README for more info.

Added equipment locks to non-combat characters that were missing them.

Added a notice to the start of the game to check the README for information about mechanics.

Added options to the customization room to change your gallery statues all at once.

Added the new custom Game Over screen created for Arrival.

Added support for transferring game saves from Arrival to the main game.

Added missing credits to the README.

Added Arrival content, only accessible by importing a save from Arrival.

Added trophy 21 to the trophy room.

Added a bugfix feature that prevents the player sprite from appearing as the wrong character.

Added more trees that change when the cloth trader appears to make it more obvious he’s there.

Added a bugfix feature so missing trophies can be discovered in the Trophy Room if necessary.

Added event location commands to prevent characters from becoming misplaced.

Added sun shafts to indicate where the windows in the player Estate’s Master Bedroom are.

Added a fast travel crib to the nursery to visit Vendra, available after Celtchar is born.

Added the ability to hide Elixirs in your own clocks once the Estate is fully repaired.

Added new events to the home Estate Master bedroom to change costumes for Trophy 13.

Added an event to Griselda’s docks involving Archibald.

Added nomadic Folk that appear randomly in various wilds maps.

Added nomadic Folk camps that appear randomly in region maps.

Added randomly appearing scrap items to various wilds maps.

Added new affection dialogue levels to the check-in rooms for roughly half of the Maids.

Removed a lot of the “blank” text boxes now that text boxes can be hidden.

Removed a wait timer from the player Estate’s front gate so it operates faster.

Removed the choice to refuse Bianca during her Freeze event and related content.

Fixed a bug that prevented you from ignoring Punchinella.

Fixed a bug where the Cotton Sleeve and Pet Collar Contracts did not have investment returns.

Fixed a bug where trophy 5 wasn’t awarded correctly at Big Dick’s.

Fixed a bug that prevented Quinn’s Freeze scene from being repeated after unlocking it.

Fixed several bugs that caused the BGM to not update correctly when using fast travel.

Fixed a bug that could prevent completing Phoebe’s objective for trophy 13.

Fixed several bugs that could incorrectly count progress towards trophies 13 and 21.

Fixed a bug that caused Willow’s extra Freeze event to trigger twice on the first visit.

Fixed a bug that caused Baleflight’s Butler’s to be out of position when loading a save.

Fixed several potential continuity errors in events and dialogue surrounding Ella’s arrival.

Fixed a bug that allowed completion of the Trophy 14 quest line out of sequence.

Fixed a bug with Teely’s escort options that caused choosing Nothing to repeat the choice tree.

Fixed a bug that caused Baleflight Manor to incorrectly appear on the non-Haunt region map.

Updated the garden maze to match the new version of it in Arrival’s remaster.

Updated Melissa’s class name so it matches story events.

Updated possible equipment for all Maids and added this info to the new Estate Info screen.

Updated several Maids to better emphasize their unique traits in combat.

Updated growth curves for some Maids for better stat increases.

Updated Teely’s escort options to take advantage of the expanded choice trees.

Updated several location names to match the listed location names on saves.

Updated the game icon and title screen to custom assets.

Updated several sound effects to utilize the newly available audio assets.

Updated Butler themed accessories to be correctly categorized as Butler’s Finery equipment.

Updated trophies that don’t have a menu use to be hidden to clean up the inventory.

Updated Contracts and Writs to be hidden to clean up the inventory.

Updated custom battle sprites to match the higher resolution and added missing shadows.

Updated the Trophy Room to check for items directly rather than relying on parallel events.

Updated a few of the trophy icons to better match what the trophy is.

Updated the Clown Nose to be usable from the menu instead of only from the trophy room.

Updated Wolf Pelts and Snake Fangs to be grayed out and appear in items instead of key items.

Updated “Hi-” items to instead be “High” items.

Updated incorrect item descriptions, such as items referring to TP (Theurgy Pool) as MP.

Updated other item, weapon, and armor names and info for thematic and narrative consistency.

Updated the health values of several enemies (mostly to be lower).

Updated Emily’s shop so all supply Contracts return items according to the number purchased.

Updated the cost and returns of several of the shop supply Contracts.

Updated Emily’s shop so that purchased Contracts can be sold for the purchase price.

Updated the item names for all shop Contracts for increased clarity.

Updated the study so Phoebe can be interacted with from across the desk.

Updated the bread in Augalamh to not run out if you’ve completed the relevant quest.

Updated several older events to acknowledge newer Maids if they’re present.

Updated Viridius’ diplomacy path to include Jeannie and increase player agency.

Updated the passive poison rate of Drowned Guardian/Vaultkeeper attacks to be much lower.

Updated the Drowned Hold to better support mouse controls and to include lanterns.

Updated non-unique collectible items in Fekhacht to not have text unless they can’t be collected.

Updated the Freeze events to include followers and allow access to the inventory at all times.

Updated Freeze character instances to have separate options for exiting chat and rejoining you.

Updated fast travel points to include more options where appropriate.

Updated dialogue branches to reference completed objectives directly for better dynamic flow.

Updated the Freeze location for Trophy 3 to have reactions for all of the Maids.

Updated the Homing Stone to be a Key Item to make it easier to find in the inventory.

Updated enemies that previously had no collapse effect to use the “boss” collapse effect.

Updated the event that leads into the Freeze to place the player directly in the kitchen.

Various other minor dialogue, map, and event updates and fixes.

Cut to save space, as v0.9.2 and earlier apply to the VX Ace version of the game.

The changelog for earlier versions can still be found on the dev blog and in the README.

Developer Notes:

Tags do not include all planned content; the following tags will be included in future updates.

Masturbation, Religion

Not all tags were added by the developer. Some content is avoidable and/or only triggered if you go looking for it. If you see one you’re unsure of, ask.

I do not have access to a Mac environment, so the Mac version may require extra steps to get working. If you need help with this, refer to this post or leave a comment asking for help.