Middara: Unintentional Malum - The Complete Trilogy

Day 19: Update Pack News, Striking Red Eyes, and a Scared Nymph!
almost 5 years ago – Sat, Jul 13, 2019 at 01:44:10 AM

Information about the 1.1 Update Pack

We've been doing our best to spend every moment, outside of structuring these Kickstarter updates and running this campaign, on the 1.1 Update Pack. We know that our returning backers are very anxious to see what exactly is included in this product. And we're anxious to show it off.

First off, we want to apologize for continually delaying the release of this information. We say one date, that date comes and goes, and backers are left wondering what's going on. The truth is that we underestimated how time-consuming running this campaign would be. 

With us closing in on the end of the campaign, we'll likely see things ramp up towards the last three days. This will require even more of our time as we unlock Stretch Goals and unveil more surprises.

So, to avoid giving another deadline that we may miss, we'll be realistic with our projection this time.  

We'll funnel out information in the meantime. We'll have an itemized list of all the content in the 1.1 Update Pack along with what you can expect out of the product on our Kickstarter Update on Monday the 15th.  

We'll have the full 1.1 Update Beta released no later than Friday August 9th. This is a safe estimate as the campaign will be finished and we'll have two weeks to tighten everything up for release.

Thanks again for your patience and on with the unlock and story!

 As one of the youngest in her tribe, Ursy always looked up to her elders. She did her duties in defending the woods and supporting her home, and was well-liked amongst her sisters. Ursy hadn’t known what evils nymphs were capable of, until the day that Alana was thrown in her cage.

From her cage, Alana screamed and yelled, claiming they’d sentenced her to death. Ursy couldn't help but think about all the things Alana said. They were strange and horrible things that contradicted what the elders had told her. It did seem cruel to lock her up like that, and Ursy felt bad. She couldn’t understand why everyone couldn’t just get along. When Alana broke free from her cage in the night, Ursy couldn't believe what she was seeing. Alana killed the elders, her wurm tearing them apart. In that moment, Ursy saw her world crumble around her as Alana devoured and killed her sisters one by one. Most didn’t even have a chance to fight back.

Ursy was taken captive. She didn’t know why Alana hadn’t killed her too, but she wasn’t the only prisoner. Over the days that followed, Ursy was forced to watch from her cage as her sisters were tortured and fed to Alana's wurm one by one. Each time Alana appeared, she’d take another nymph to toy with until their death. Each time, Ursy thought that she would be next.

Then, Alana came back with some new prisoners. They were humans who called themselves the Anointed. They seemed strong, but Ursy held no hope that they would be able to stand against Alana. After all, she had already captured them. Now, it was just a matter of time before they, too, were all dead. Eventually, it was just Ursy and the Anointed left. All of her sisters were gone, and it seemed Alana had saved her for last. Now, at any moment, Alana would come for her. 

For our Day 19 unlock, we will be adding a miniature to the KS2 Promo Box for the Ursy Standee, featured in Unintentional Malum: Act 1. 

To be clear, this miniature is part of the KS2 Promo Box and is being given away for free as part of every pledge level at the "Through the Portal" level or higher. 

The cardboard standee version that is already a part of the contents of Unintentional Malum: Act 1 will remain a standee. 

It wasn’t easy finding an airship willing to take them through the Ruined Isles. But one hefty purse of Yun’s money later, and they climbed aboard the Pontianak. She was a rough, unfinished looking vessel, assembled out of interlocking iron plates, with half a dozen long-guns and a crew Nyx could only describe as “swarthy.” But soon enough they were leaving Rhamsted behind, lifting past the broken onyx peaks.

Captain Salvador made his way over to them, his prosthetic leg grinding slightly against the deck. Salvador was a man who well-matched his ship, with a beard of rust and skin tanned and dark. At least he didn’t have a parrot. What he did have was something large rolled under one arm, which he spread before them on the railing as soon as he reached them.

“Lady Nyx,” he said, his voice slow and heavily accented. But at least he sounded like he cared that she was footing the bill. “I thought we might have a word about the course you suggested for our trip.” He pointed down at the map, which was an immensely detailed chart. The Ruined Isles were there, but also various shades and colors on the rest of the chart, indicating hostile airflows and currents. Most of the Isles were marked in red or dark orange, with various notes scribbled in the margins. “Are you quite certain this is where you want us to sail? Didn’t you say you were trying to reach the Ziggurat, here?”

Christopher seemed concerned, but Ai Chen spoke before he could agree. “We are following a known trail. We know this is a safe path, because we have seen it flown.” She removed a lump of charcoal from her pocket, tracing lightly on the map. Mostly it followed the thin curves between dangerous regions, but it cut through the orange in a few places. “Go this way, Captain. The Pontianak will not be harmed.”

Salvador stared down at the map for a few seconds more, tracing out the path with a finger. Then he shrugged, rolling up the map. “The gold was good, I give you that. But if we encounter anything dangerous, we’re turning around. We’re not a warship.”

For a few hours there was little to do but watch the sea. Nyx rested in a tiny berth below-decks, taking what little chance she might get before they arrived at the Ziggurat and faced whatever dangers it contained. I hope this was fast enough for you, Enoch.

She woke a few hours later, without any sign that she’d been visited by more Dark Mother cultists while she rested. She wandered past the engine room, but then a crewman started yelling and she went for the deck instead.

She found both of her foreign companions staring off the edge of the railing. It was easy to see why: they’d made it to the Ruined Isles.

Nyx passed Pocky curled into a corner near the stairs as she went for the railing. The Warp Hound had somehow got his paws on Enoch’s lockbox, and was trying to claw it open. Without success, as Nyx could see. The runes along its surface glowed just as brightly. If Yun’s sorcerer couldn’t get it open, then a dog certainly can’t. 

Nyx gave the doggo a friendly pat, then joined the others at the railing.

Massive structures rose just past the edge of the Pontianak, towers of stone, half-melted skyscrapers, vast star-shaped temples. Nyx had never been this close, and even she was momentarily transfixed by what she saw. Many of the structures would have long crumbled to ruin by now, but strange vines had grown up around them, piercing stone and steel alike and forming living supports.

“What did this?” Christopher asked, one hand on his familiar rosary. He clutched it protectively about his chest, as though it could ward away the death below. “Another pagan ritual gone awry? Someone… summoned what they shouldn’t?”

Nyx rolled her eyes. “This predates Elenia. Might be older than Brahma for all anyone knows. No humans made it this far—or at least never made it back again to tell us.” Even as she said it, their airship passed a metal dome as large as a castle, its top broken with misshapen metal at odd angles.

Air blew about them, making Nyx wrap her arms tighter about her chest, wishing she had a jacket. The strange wind whipped through the structure far below, and for a second it seemed to twist into distant screams.

“I just hope whoever built all this doesn’t come back. We couldn’t do this… and I’ve seen Elenia, so don’t say you could.”

Nyx didn’t protest, though. “I was only going to say that Earth humans might be able to do this. It’s a little like… one of their cities.” Only centuries too early and on the wrong planet. 

Christopher finally let go of his rosary. “Lucia would love to see this. She could look out at those buildings and know exactly what happened. She would want to land, see what is waiting down there. I’m sure she would figure it out. Solve your Elenian mysteries for you.”

Before Nyx could object, Christopher reached into his pocket, removing a tiny silver locket and flipping it open for her. “Did I show you, Nyx? My sister Lucia.”

She looked, mostly out of politeness. She could see the family resemblance—the same auburn hair, though her eyes were large and pink.

“She’s the same one who joined the Grim Deacons?” Nyx asked, as casually as she could. “You were waiting to hear if she made it in.”

Christopher nodded. “So many of us lose our families when we come here, but it was never that way for us. Parents brought us here together, taught us together. We both wanted to protect our country, but… she was always more ambitious. That only goes one place, in the end. Now she’s been training for… feels like years.”

“Training in… Luaderton?” Nyx asked, as casually as she could. “Along the western border?” Ai Chen is much too sharp to accidentally confirm where their secret training grounds are located, but maybe Christopher...

No luck, unfortunately. Ai Chen whistled loudly, silencing whatever Christopher might’ve said. You did that on purpose. Last time that didn’t make a sound. Pocky answered instantly—he didn’t run, just appeared in front of them, holding the lockbox in his mouth.

Ai caught it, then passed it to Nyx still dripping and slimy. “Pocky really wants to get in there. There’s powerful magic, but… he can’t. The Coven Mother didn’t know how to open it, so he can’t.”

Nyx rubbed her hands dry on her skirt, slipping the box away. “Yun Jeong couldn’t get it open. Getting where he shouldn’t is basically his thing.” Him and Halphas really have that in common. Even as she thought it, her familiar emerged from inside the bag, gleefully slipping his paws around the lockbox, dragging it deeper. “It’s not your hoard, buddy,” she whispered.

Ai reached up, gently closing Christopher’s locket. She spoke quietly, but standing this close it was easy for Nyx to overhear. “It will be easiest for Lucia to do her work if you aren’t showing her face to Elenian royal envoys. Unless you want her to be with God before her time.”

He shook his head, pocketing the locket and giving Nyx a sudden, nervous look.

She raised her hands, smiling weakly. “Hey, I’m just a professor. I teach kids how not to die in Middara, that’s my thing. And… occasionally poke around to help in other ways. If your sister isn’t going around murdering people, then there’s no reason for me to say anything about her.”

“Murdering?” he repeated, voice horrified. “Lucia would never take an innocent life!”

Before Nyx could reply, Pocky interrupted both, barking loudly. Ai met his eyes for a second, then turned and darted for the helm. 

“Captain! Captain Salvador, we’ve arrived!” She pointed just ahead, where an island like a spike of barren rock rose from the ocean. “Land us there!”

The Pontianak didn’t land, exactly—there was no dock for that. At Salvador’s command, the crew flung a jagged anchor overboard, trailing a length of thick chain that sparked and cracked all the way down. Then it landed, and he gestured overboard. “Ladder on that. You can climb. But I don’t want to get closer with my ship. If it’s cursed… you can be cursed. Not us.”

She followed the anchor all the way down, scanning the floor below. What she’d taken from above to be a natural spire of stone was another structure, weathered almost smooth on the outside. But now that she looked, she could see a few irregular openings she took to be windows, and ripped stone that might’ve been balconies once, before they collapsed. Near the anchor a black chamber loomed, no sunlight penetrating to illuminate whatever was inside.

Nyx laughed, tightening her pack for a flight. She’d been itching to fly a little ever since taking off, anyway. The Pontianak was a little too slow for her liking. “Guess you get to explore the ruins after all, Spaniard. You can tell your sister what you find.”

He nodded. “I’ll find her a souvenir. A dead witch’s head, maybe, or a piece from some pagan alter after I shatter it.” He moved to climb over the edge, unintimidated by the height.

Ai rested one hand on Christopher’s shoulder. “I’ll be right behind you. And Pocky… well, he gets to warp right down, lucky dog.” The animal grinned up at her in response, otherwise silent.

Nyx watched Christopher heave himself over the edge, then down the long chain leading into the empty blue sky.

“You next, Nyx?”

She spread her wings wide in response. “I’ll glide. You go ahead, I’ll try to catch you if you fall. I… might be able to carry someone down from this high. Maybe just… try not to need it?”

“Make it quick,” Salvador said, pointing off over his shoulder. The wind that had been following them all this way bore with it dark clouds on the horizon, getting closer by the minute. “First rule of sailing the Ruined Isles is not getting caught in a storm. No ports, no shelter.”

Nyx nodded, then took off. The currents here were wild and unfriendly, trying to push her violently away from the island. Nyx angled herself down into a dive, using her weight to fight the current. She flew with all her might, but even so she barely dodged the water, skidding to a halt on the black-sand beach. She hurried ahead of the waves, to where the others watched.

When seen from below, the Pontianak’s iron bulk seemed more like a fly buzzing above this ancient structure, rather than a real threat to it. It’s just the three sisters left. It might not be so bad.

“Where are you going?” Ai asked, reaching to grab her arm as she passed. 

Nyx was a little too fast, pulling away. “Isn’t this where…”

Ai shook her head, pointing to a narrow trail that wound around the ruin. Not to the ancient stone, but to swaying palm trees, and the distant calls of tropical birds. “She didn’t go in. We shouldn’t either.”

Nyx came to an abrupt halt, sighing with relief. “That’s the first good news I’ve heard today.” Even so, she couldn’t stop herself from stealing a look as they passed. Strange glass shapes rose inside, which Nyx swore moved when she looked away. But if anything was inside, it didn’t follow them.

She hadn’t even noticed the dense jungle surrounding the building, not until they stepped into the massive shadow of the ruins.

“What do you think the witch was doing here?” Christopher asked, as they followed a narrow trail through dense tropical shrubs. Leaves pulled back at their touch, slowly slinking only once their group had passed. “Why stop on this island in particular?”

“It’s a magical lock,” Nyx suggested. “Or the path is. The more complex it is, the safer the lock. If it was too easy, ships might sail to the Ziggurat by accident.” She wiped her brow, shaking away the sweat collecting there. The denser the jungle around them, the thicker the air became.

Eventually a shape rose above the tallest trees—nothing like the massive landmark of the structure behind them, but taller than any of the jungle fronds. A stone archway, into a courtyard. Far from the central tower, this structure seemed almost intact. White marble pillars supported it around the sides, with a gigantic glass dome overhead casting multicolored shadow. A roofed garden dome, with gates wide and inviting. A stream gurgled from somewhere inside, and a tropical bird chirped energetically.

Behind them, Pocky growled low. Only for a second—long enough for all of them to hear. Ai didn’t even hesitate, unslinging her gauntlets from her pack. She slowed dramatically, creeping through the gate. Nyx touched her sheathed weapon once for reassurance, but didn’t draw it. The espers she summoned were far more dangerous than anything Nyx was capable of.

Christopher ignored all subtlety, drawing his gigantic sword in both hands and stomping through the gate, past Ai Chen and directly towards the oversized fountain in the center.

Nyx followed, though she slowed quickly. The illusion frayed a little more with every step. A few marble pillars collapsed and were overgrown, though only some of the ceiling they supported fell in. Shards of glass shredded through delicate trees and flowers, and everything turned brown in a wave of death that left only skeletal remains behind. What she’d taken for comfortable benches and statues along a garden walk changed into far simpler shapes, though many crumbled like everything else.

They were graves, though the writing carved into the ancient stone was faded and withered until it became unintelligible.

Nyx looked up, at a ceiling of broken glass and chunks of stone that still had several sections intact, while many more had broken to shatter on the floor. If those things fall while we’re here, they’ll cut us to pieces.

“I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I had visitors from outside,” called a voice.

Nyx spun, but the speaker wasn’t hiding. She rested in the arms of a particularly impressive monument, strikingly like an angel. The kind that murdered you if you tried to go back to Earth after your Advancement. The head had withered to nothing, but the rest of its features were obvious enough. Nyx had seen enough of those monsters for a lifetime.

There was little to see of her face, beyond a pair of strikingly red eyes, emerging from thin cloth and never looking away from Nyx. She wore only a single ragged length of red cloth, wrapped strangely around her pale body. Every inch of skin Nyx could see was covered in scars--some arcane, others like they might still be bleeding. Her hair moved wildly in the air behind her, as though she were submerged in an invisible ocean. “Alright boys, let’s greet our visitors. Be polite.”

Figures rose from the gloom behind her, stepping out from fallen monuments or out of hiding places inside the reedy plants. They were half a dozen Incubi, each one shirtless and perfect. Nyx could barely tell them apart, wouldn’t have known if one of these was the escaped Feros. They flanked the clearing, slowly encircling them to prevent an escape. 

Pocky growled, Nyx prepared her spells—but she didn’t like their odds against so many. 

“We’re here for the Ortiz sisters,” Christopher demanded. “We know they’re still alive. That… Silvia kidnapped them.”

“Kidnapped.” The witch rolled forward off the monument, landing with sinuous grace beside another fallen grave. No flesh tentacles here, or any other magic Nyx could sense yet. A few of the Incubi laughed. “The Dark Mother called them to the revel. Everyone answers, eventually.”

She’s more human than the last one. That could be better—humans could be killed easier than strange demons who could harvest the souls of their companions. If she can do that, we’ll have to kill her seven times. “They were forced,” Nyx supplied. “I’ve got a boy in the hospital you forced a mark on, too. We’re here to… to demand that you release the Ortiz sisters, and remove your curse from Enoch. Right now!”

They laughed again, the witch so loudly that it rumbled off fragments of broken stone and glass above them. Nyx looked up, watching for any sign of a collapse. She saw none.

Finally one of the Incubi leaned closer to her, his voice polite, deferential. “Girtiya, I think they’re serious.”

She glided forward towards Nyx, dragging her legs behind her in the dirt. “The arrival of the marked one is a sacred thing, not to be mocked by outsiders. A boy. Blasphemy. Completely impossible.” She folded her arms. “It isn’t what Silvia did to the Ortiz sisters that you should worry about, trespassers. Fear what they have done to me. I will not be so kind to you, if you’ve come to violate this sacred place.”

“You’re the gatekeeper then?” Ai asked. She had her back to Nyx, watching the group of Incubi that surrounded them. They still didn’t look armed—for all Nyx knew, their muscular features might just be part of the lie. It might be all rot and weakness underneath. “Could we convince you to let us in?”

Girtiya nodded sharply, snapping back on her legs and circling them. She came far closer than any of her servants, close enough to strike. But she too was unarmed, and so far she hadn’t used a spell. “Our coven has sacred rules, rules I swore to abide when Silvia made me whole again. All who wish to prostrate themselves before the Dark Mother are permitted entrance, with an offering.” 

Her eyes scanned over them, jerking from Ai’s hat, to Christopher’s locket, then into Nyx’s bag. “You are fortunate—you have brought objects of worth before me.”

She gestured, and Nyx’s bag unlatched itself. Her violin lifted into the air, raised by a faint purple glow. It wasn’t just her, either. Christopher’s locket drifted out of his pocket before he caught it, wrapping his fingers tightly around the chain. Ai’s hat lifted off her head, hovering just out of reach. 

“I see the threads of meaning connecting you to these objects. They are… sufficient offerings to the Mother. She accepts all into her embrace. Come, join the revel. Forget your cares, and know bliss as only she can offer.

“Absolutely not,” Christopher called, yanking the chain suddenly from the air and around his fingers. “We haven’t come to join your cult, but to cast it down. Your goddess is an abomination God sent us to destroy.”

Ai yanked on his arm, her voice a harsh whisper. “We don’t have to join them. Do you want to get in or not? You can get a new picture of Lucia. And Nyx… I don’t know what that is. But it can’t be that important.”

Nyx hesitated, eyeing the violin. After all these years, and now she had something of her parents returned to her. Was she willing to give it up? All their eyes were on her—she was the deciding vote.

The Witch Girtiya requests that you sacrifice the Etched Violin of Amdusias, Ai’s Sentient Silly Hat, and Christophers Sentimental Locket. This will ensure you gain passage into the Ziggurat unharmed. (Removing the Violin from the Promo box)

 or...

Risk something greater and fight Girtiya, keeping Christopher Amaya's Locket and Ai Chen's Silly Sentient Hat. (adding them to the promo box)

Day 18: Ancient Pixies all aflutter!
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Jul 12, 2019 at 01:50:48 AM

Happy Day 18, backers!

Short and sweet update for you all today! We are steadily climbing to that $2.25M stretch goal that we know you'll be stoked about. :D

Thanks again for all the support. We're doing our best to keep the updates entertaining and fun and we're having a great time putting this campaign together and experimenting with new ideas.

Have a great day and enjoy today's unlock!

The obscene rescindo’s memory decayed with time, and it has little memory of what realm it might have summoned these diminutive pixies from. It has inquired of them, and they’ve been happy to tell it, though their elaborate tale varies each time the obscene rescindo asks. 

Physically, these creatures are mostly unremarkable at first glance. They are simply small female humanoids with wings and horns. Upon further inspection, however, the obscene rescindo discovered that they possess some very unique characteristics. 

While they have eyes on their faces, they are mostly useless. Their actual eyes are imbedded in their horns, and they are able to see very well, even in conditions of low light. They also have an incredible amount of strength, despite their small size. They can lift many times their own body weight.

This odd pair of pixies have been unwaveringly loyal to the obscene rescindo. They have been its companions since it can remember, and they will defend the coffin with their lives. They seem obsessed with fairy tales of brave knights and damsels in distress, and act out these fantasies whenever they meet another soul. This infatuation with fables and legends has kept the obscene rescindo entertained for longer than it can recall.

Despite their fantasies, they are more than capable of taking care of themselves. Together, they harness powerful magic, corralling their foes so that they may more easily pick them off. They also use their surprising strength to carry the obscene rescindo by its chains. They will even use the obscene rescindo as a weapon, pulling it through their enemies like a wrecking ball. 

The obscene rescindo is unsure what the pixies get from being its espers. The contract has long since been forgotten. Of course, he’s tried asking, but they always tell a different story. Regardless, they seem more than happy to serve.

For our Day 18 unlock, we will be adding two figures to the KS2 Promo Box. One for both Pixies. These two are featured in Unintentional Malum: Act 1. 

To be clear, these two miniatures are part of the KS2 Promo Box and are being given away for free as part of every pledge level at the "Through the Portal" level or higher. 

The cardboard standee versions that are already a part of the contents of Unintentional Malum: Act 1 will remain a standees. 

Day 17: The Sexiest Sleeves, Wretched Immortality, and Warp Hounds!
almost 5 years ago – Thu, Jul 11, 2019 at 01:50:59 AM

The Sexiest Sleeves!

We playtest Middara a whole lot. We're also all huge fans of sleeving our game. But we've always struggled with the 5x6 large cards. Nobody was providing sleeves that were always accessible or easy to get. We're changing that. 

Introducing the sexiest sleeves! ..Er, a 3D mock-up of sleeves. 

These sleeves come in a pack of 100, this covers the entirety of the Act 1 with some extras. If you're interested in covering Act 2 and 3 we recommend snagging an additional pack. (The exact card counts will be announced at a later date and we'll make sure that you have an opportunity to grab what you need before wave 2 ships.) 

These sleeves are a hefty 100 microns thick. (Not penny sleeves) And we intend to keep a small surplus in stock post campaign to cover additional content we release outside of Kickstarter. 

These sleeves do not come in any existing pledge levels and are a $10 Add-On. 

Many wonder what happens after death. Fortunately… or unfortunately, depending on the circumstances, death isn’t always the end. While the question of what happens when the spirit departs from the human body is still a mystery, the intangible idea of a soul is something that has been measured and calculated, at least within the realms of their use in magic. Many realms outside of Middara view it as a sort of currency, and some creatures would laugh at the idea of only having one.  

An enslaved spirit is just that; A soul of the deceased that is kept from its final resting place to serve some other creature in slavery. These souls come in as many forms as the creatures they are ripped from. When first separated from their bodies, they look much as they did in life, although pale and ...

semi-transparent.

Many attribute this mirrored form to the spirit still clinging to its original sense of identity, even in death. After a while, however, their forms tend to change as they become more accustomed to their masters whims and wishes. Those trapped in the service of these mercurial beings are often twisted into exaggerated symbols of death; grinning skulls, gory corpses, tortured frames wracked in agony, or anything else pleasurable to their masters.

An enslaved spirit retains some of its physicality, as it helps them to interact with the physical world to perform their master’s tasks. This leaves them susceptible to normal weapons, and they can be banished temporarily this way. However, they are not severed from their prisons. Nothing save permission from, or the destruction of, their master can free them. 

While there have been recorded cases of individuals voluntarily becoming enslaved spirits to stave off impending death, it’s not something that is considered morally acceptable in Middara. Becoming an enslaved spirit is seen as a fate worse than death, as the creatures who are capable of creating such bonds dabble in magic that is questionable at best.

For our Day 17 unlock, we will be adding eight figures to the KS2 Promo Box. accounting for all of the Enslaved Spirits in Act 1.

To be clear, these eight miniatures are part of the KS2 Promo Box and are being given away for free as part of every pledge level at the "Through the Portal" level or higher. 

The cardboard standee versions that are already a part of the contents of Unintentional Malum: Act 1 will remain a standees. 

 Nyx felt the instant her bargain was accepted, as what strength she had left faded from her. Her connection to Middara weakened, even as something from distant places followed her soul into reality. For a timeless instant, she saw through the world into the place this new esper had come from. A blasted, volcanic hillside, with sulfurous lava belching and rolling past her. 

Lightning struck the hillside in front of her, a single terrible bolt that tore newly dried rock and ripped it up into the air in haphazard chunks. They assembled themselves together into a vessel for the still-molten magma within, shaped a little like her skull, and a little like something else. She nodded to the eye, accepting its terms.

Then the moment faded, and she was still in Padric’s inn. The witch advanced on her, holding no weapons but the sinuous muscle that composed her body. Her barbed teeth glittered in the moonlight streaming in from behind her, and Nyx knew exactly how this monster planned on killing her.

The space behind her brightened. The eye appeared first, its dark pupil fixing on Nyx despite the witch’s figure looming between them.

“It didn’t have to hurt,” the witch said. “But I’ll make sure it does, for Adriel’s sake. You won’t enjoy it, but I will.”

Nyx felt Balaan’s magical strength flood into her, like lightning in her blood. With the creature’s help, Nyx had another point of origin for her spells, one the witch wouldn’t expect. Nyx felt herself focusing on the witch’s back, then unleashed a gore shot as potent as she’d ever used—stones as large as her head tore away from the creature’s shell, fired on a downward angle at the witch.

They tore through her half-rotten flesh without even slowing down, shattering the wood floor around her in a great circular hole. Nyx kept firing, burning through every drop of power this esper had lent to her, until the floor itself collapsed and the witch tumbled down into it with a scream. Balaan followed her down, tearing away from her control at last.

“She’s not dead,” Ai croaked, still clutching at her injured belly with a free hand. “Come on!”

Nyx scooped up her weapon from where it had fallen, then hurried for the doorway. None of them were strong enough to run exactly, but they hobbled out into the hallway, past bedroom doors and patrons peeking out with nervous terror. Nyx couldn’t resent their cowardice, not when the three of them were barely on their feet.

They rounded the bottom of the stairs on a scene of destruction worse than their bedroom. The ceiling in the center of the common room had rained down bits of wood and debris, crushing a few tables and scattering chairs. The witch herself lay in a broken pile in the center of the room, with the Lidless Eye circling around it. But its strength was exhausted, and so the esper’s presence was more reassuring than useful.

“You’re… all… dead…” the Coven Mother croaked, ichor dribbling out from between her lips as she spoke. Her fleshy tentacles dug into the ground around her, hauling her into a near-standing position.

Then the front door banged open. Charlotte hurried in, an oversized blunderbuss clutched in both arms. And she wasn’t alone—there two men with her, in the dark robes of the Black Hand. They had rifles of their own, of a similar design.

The Coven Mother turned on them, baring sharp teeth. “This is no concern of yours! Leave and I will spare—”

They started shooting. Not automatic weapons, as might’ve been made on Earth, but terrible blasts of black powder that filled the air with smoke and made Nyx’s ears ring. The Coven Mother didn’t fall over so much as she broke apart in chunks of gore, her rotten body decomposing into fragments of bone and viscera that smeared across the inn floor.

She still writhed, what was left of her body fighting to take a human shape again. Charlotte tossed her rifle aside, drawing a pair of flintlock pistols and advancing on her. She got in close, ignoring the agonized screams as she shot the witch twice in the head. Finally she stopped moving.

The next morning found them still in the common room of Charlotte’s inn. Nyx leaned over Ai, who lay flat on a pair of tables pushed together into a cot with her wound exposed. Bandages and an open medical kit surrounded them. Mercifully the watch was gone now, leaving only Charlotte and Nyx’s companions. The other patrons had, unsurprisingly, gone to find other accommodations.

“This is going on the Arsen account,” Charlotte declared, for the third time in as many minutes. She had a growing pile of broken furniture near the exit, letting her sweep the rest of the inn clear. “No danger in my inn. You should’ve left it at the door.”

“We had no desire to bring harm to you or your establishment,” Christopher said. He sat in the chair beside them, sword in his lap and his eyes on the front door. But so far no more danger had come. “They shouldn’t have known we were here. This town is far too insignificant to have spies installed here. How could they know?”

“There’s one spy right here,” Nyx called, a little of her old cheerfulness returning. “Hold still, spy. If you twitch, I’ll pour this on healthy skin. So unless you want a fat new tumor on your chest…”

Ai nodded, though there was still enough strength left in her for defiance. “Clairvoyants are diplomats, not spies.”

Nyx started pouring—where the flesh-colored liquid touched, it started to smoke and burn, leaving painfully sealed skin behind. Even the Brahman’s spy wasn’t strong enough to keep arguing through that. Nyx herself didn’t look away, didn’t even think about anything else until she’d finished sealing the wound, and she corked the bottle again. “Done. But just because it stopped bleeding doesn’t mean you’re better. Your insides won’t be so easy to put back together if you tear them.”

“I’ve used Myrtle before,” she muttered, pushing Nyx away. “But thank you. I suppose not every Middaran is a Godless heathen.”

“Godless heathens who saved your lives,” Charlotte grumbled, giving the pistol on her thigh a reassuring pat. “Or do you honestly think you two would’ve survived that scrap without me. Without Nyx, without the Black Hand helping us…”

Christopher looked away, but his expression was stubborn. There was no watch anymore—off patrolling the rest of Rhamsted, in case the cult returned to exact their revenge elsewhere. “If Elenia stayed away from things it shouldn’t meddle with, this Dark Mother cult wouldn’t exist in the first place. The demons would still be in hell where they belong.”

“Because using magic to make animals smart is so much better,” Nyx scolded. She moved sharply, replacing her vial of Myrtle along with the other medical supplies. “My summoning saved us twice. The Coven Mother would’ve just killed us in our sleep.”

“And my inn wouldn’t be destroyed,” Charlotte muttered. “Hey Nyx, just let them kill you next time.”

“I thought you were on my side!”

But Charlotte didn’t answer. 

Christopher did. “The argument is petty. I apologize for doubting the competence of you Elenians. We must be united against a common enemy.” He reached into Nyx’s bag—something she might’ve tried to stop if it wasn’t already open. He settled the diary and the cloth pouch onto the table between them. “We do not know how they have tracked us here, but we can be certain we’re on the right path. They sent three of their number to kill us. We must be close.”

“We, uh…” Nyx hesitated, then took the cloth envelope and tossed it across the room. Straight into the fireplace. Christopher lunged for it, but she took his arm with one hand. “While you were out, the Incubi spoke to me. They said that Sandra had been talking to them. I think she must be… connected to that tongue, somehow.”

“Not anymore,” Ai muttered. The flames turned a sickly green for a few seconds, then melted back to orange. “Before either of you say anything, I’ve made a decision. You obviously need the help.”

You mean you need an excuse to stay in Elenia longer. Brahma is probably waiting with bated breath for us to destabilize enough to invade and take their land back without much resistance. Nyx didn’t argue, though. She couldn’t forget just how helpful Ai had been in that last fight. “If one witch is that strong, I can’t imagine what is waiting in the Ziggurat. Maybe you should turn around.”

Ai Chen shook her head once. “If I don’t go, you won’t be able to get there. I asked around last night, after you went to bed. We can’t get to the Ziggurat. It’s supposed to be just out of reach no matter how far you sail. Well, now we know how to find our way there.” She pointed off into a corner, where the mangled corpse of the witch had been haphazardly covered with a bloody sheet.

“If they can listen through their dead, we should just bury her. Or… burn so she can’t come back again.” He shuddered, clutching briefly at the rosary around his neck with a muttered prayer. “Never seen anything so horrible in my life.”

“Not the body.” Ai rose suddenly, slinging her gauntlets over her shoulder, then bringing her fingers together to whistle. At least, that’s what it looked like. It didn’t make a sound. 

Nyx watched in silence as the air in front of Ai warped and stretched. For a second she thought she could hear the marketplace, a distant blacksmith’s hammer. Then there was a dog in front of Ai, padding up to her with an open-mouthed canine grin.

Compared to all the strange things Nyx had seen today, this creature was mundane. Dark coat, long claws, and a bright pink horn emerging from its head. Its eyes were yellow, but the expression on its canine face was simple pleasure at seeing someone it liked.

“Christopher, Nyx. This is Pocky.” She dropped to her knees, embracing the creature with both arms. Pocky made a few excited yapping noises, but quickly fell silent, his long tail falling still. “How was the market, Pocky? Did you have a good hunt last night? Of course you did!”

Aren’t those as smart as people? If Nyx tried that with half the espers she summoned, they’d burn her face off.

Pocky only licked her energetically, until she finally had to push him away, rising to unsteady feet. That injury would take time to heal.

“No pets allowed,” Charlotte said, but she didn’t even look up from her sweeping. “Not that I care at this point. Can’t really make my inn any worse.”

“You have a pet,” Christopher said. His tone was flat, but Nyx could tell that was disapproval. “You brought him here?”

“Not a pet,” Ai argued, spinning on him with her hands on her hips. The dog followed her gaze, and Nyx could see clear comprehension in those yellow eyes. It didn’t approve of the name either. “We’re partners. If Pocky wasn’t here, you’d be screwed trying to get to the Ziggurat.” 

She turned, marching across the room to the fallen witch. She pulled the cloth out of the way. The smell hit Nyx even from across the room, as though a week of rotting had passed in just a few hours. But she couldn’t look away. Were the stories about these creatures true?

Pocky lowered his head, and his horn went from purple to a ghostly white. Light seemed to radiate from the body, drawn along unseen strands. The magic affected Ai as well, making her go suddenly rigid, her eyes shifting to deep purple. Then the magic faded. Ai wobbled, stumbling back to the nearest chair and catching herself on it. “There. Now we can… find the Ziggurat.”

Christopher rose to his feet, his hand moving from his rosary to his sword. “By Mary and all saints, what did you just do?”

Ai only panted, still catching her breath. Nyx rose, resting one hand on his shoulder. “That’s a Warp Hound. They teleport, and… capture people’s souls, after they die. For a little while, anyway.”

“A day,” Ai supplied. “Until next sunrise. Why I waited until morning to call him here. Plus I… I couldn’t let anything happen to him.” She reached to one side, resting a hand on his head and stroking it affectionately. “He’s not much of a fighter, but he’s still a great partner.” She tapped her forehead with two fingers. “Now I see the way she got here. All we have to do is retrace her steps to find the Ziggurat.”

Day 16: Balaan See's All!
almost 5 years ago – Wed, Jul 10, 2019 at 01:34:25 AM

 Yet another pick where something else is going to be doing the killing for you... or at least a creature you can kill others through? Regardless, the community has chosen Balaan, the Lidless Eye!

Nyx Summons the Esper The Lidless Eye! Hopefully the creature can strike down the diabolic cultist! 

"Uh, hi." Clark muttered, scratching at the back of his head nervously.   

The ritual worked and the strange entity was now floating beside him. The large eye darted around, taking everything in frantically. It probably expected to be called to Middara amidst a chaotic battle. Instead, it was called to an empty plush dorm room. 

Eventually, the eye relaxed, and it's large pupil settled on him. The creature didn't make a sound. It's stare was piercing, as though it could see something within him, something beyond where he was standing.

"I, well..." Clark stammered. The weight of the creatures gaze was an oppression that could almost be physically felt. Even though it said nothing, it looked irritated.

"I heard that you can see things." Clark continued, trying to ignore the monsters eye following him as he paced the dormitory. "I know you probably expected something more exciting, but I really need your help."

He paused, waiting for the giant eye to respond. 

It didn't.

"See, there's a test coming up. I really should have spent more time listening. I mean, I don't know anything about plants. I don't even care about botany. It's not like I'm going to be roaming the world in need of things like that." Clark waved his hands, but the eye only floated silently in the empty room. 

"The teacher keeps the answers on a big book they have locked in a room." Clark bit his lip, but he had already committed to summoning the creature, so he decided he wouldn't back out now. "They say the room is covered in all sorts of enchantments. But I read that your kind can see anything. You could get me those answers!" 

The eye silently stared. The sound of the crackling fire place filled the otherwise quiet room. 

Clark frowned. He was about to send the esper away and succumb to his procrastination fueled fate when the creature's alien voice boomed in his head.

For a price.

For our Day 16 unlock, we will be adding the community chosen Esper to the KS2 Promo Box. This creature can be used in the Assemblage tree via the Discipline Summoning! 

To be clear, this miniature is part of the KS2 Promo Box and is being given away for free as part of every pledge level at the "Through the Portal" level or higher. It's 5x6 card and Initiative card will be included alongside a cardboard standee in Act 2 of Unintentional Malum. 

Day 15: Possessed Nightingale, A Coven Mother hidden in the Green Brier, and Summoning Enlightenment!
almost 5 years ago – Tue, Jul 09, 2019 at 01:50:41 AM

Nightingale changed. It was almost as if her skin tone had gone a whole two shades paler, and considering how pale she was already, it made her a stark white. 

Rook peered at her with a mixture of academic curiosity and fear. Her green hair seemed to drift, as though she were submerged in water he couldn’t see. There was also a darkness in her eyes, something sinister, and lacking in empathy. 

“Come.” Nightingale said, but her voice was flat and emotionless.  She began walking off down the street at a slow jilted walking pace, as if she was learning to walk for the first time. Her movements seemed abrupt and purposeful, as if she was trying to be careful not to fall.

Rook and Zeke shared a look of worry before following. 

Nightingale's body led them all the way out of the city. She never tired, never slowed, and barely responded to anything they said. and after a few long moments they made it less than a mile out of the city through a winding path that led them up a nearby cliff side, void of roads.

As they walked. Rook couldn't help but wonder what Nightingale... the real Nightingale was feeling.

For our Day 5 unlock, we will be adding a unique miniature to the KS2 Promo Box that thematically represents a moment (or more) in Unintentional Malum. 

To be clear, this miniature is part of the KS2 Promo Box and is being given away for free as part of every pledge level at the "Through the Portal" level or higher. 

Nyx woke with a muffled scream, kicking and squirming in her bed. She was bound, wrapped in something ropey and muscled. She glanced down in horror, and saw moist red flesh binding her to the bed by wrists and ankles. Strange symbols coated the bed around the edges, written there in something she had a grim certainty was her own blood.

A face appeared above her, the face of a woman who was wrapped so completely with fleshy growth that it was impossible to see where sinuous limbs ended and raw muscle began. She looked over Nyx, drawing one claw across her lips. “Hush,” she whispered, in Jalen’s voice. “Scream again, and I’ll take your tongue.”

Nyx didn’t scream. Something had still been wrapped around her mouth, making any real attempt to speak impossible.

“Your pet ruined my spell—pity. Now you must wait your turn to die less pleasurably.” She turned away, lifted at her waist by the swollen, muscled masses. They carried her across the room to where Christopher slept. Nyx couldn’t tilt her head far, but she could see similar runes written around him, along with the same tendrils holding him down. Without Lymn or an Exalted Esper to call upon, he wouldn’t be escaping either. 

 Check out the cards: Adventurer Card | Combatant Card (still in development) | Accessory | Core

As a Day 15 unlock we're excited to announce our cross promotion with the devilish Coven Mother of the Dark Divine! This creation is our take on the Wood Mother from Greenbrier Games. 

These guys are the talented and creative minds behind Folklore! As a huge inspiration to us in the creative story-telling field, it's been a pleasure working with Greenbrier Games. They've served as another veteran in the industry always willing to give us the time of day since the very beginning. From miniatures, to rules, Greenbrier always been happy to be on call for whatever questions we had, no matter how mundane. We can't thank them enough! 

They've provided this cross-promotion opportunity to us with little to no strings attached and were happy to simply let us go wild with the design. 

Don't hesitate to go check out their website, Facebook or Twitter.

Trenchworx is hard at work making the Resin miniature as we speak. As soon as we have something to show we'll be posting pictures of the resin kit. (Hopefully in the next three weeks.)

The Coven Mother kit comes with a beautiful Resin miniature (that will require assembly), an Initiative Card, two Item cards, an Adventurer Card, and an Intelligent Combatant card. This kit comes in all "With Swag" Pledge levels or can be added as an individual add-on for $20. 

For those curious, the Intelligent Combatant card will come with rules to spice up Unintentional Malum by adding some variety to some of the spawn options during encounters. 

Nyx struggled to her feet a few seconds later, moaning with pain and confusion as the world came haltingly back. They were being attacked—demons, or cultists, or maybe there wasn’t much of a difference. She strained, then fought against her terror and hauled herself to her feet, taking in the situation.

There were two of them left—one unhurt, looking over Ai and apparently satisfied by the wound it had inflicted to her. The other collapsed on the ground, putting pressure on the terrible wounds to its chest. Yet it wasn’t dead, as she might’ve hoped. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. They’re not human anymore. The Dark Mother isn’t finished with them yet.

“You’re… outnumbered…” Nyx raised her weapon weakly, hands shaking even now. Christopher ignored the fallen Incubus, joining Ai and Nyx around the unhurt demon. “Back away from her, slowly.”

To her surprise, the Incubus obeyed, spreading his hands and backing around the two of them, letting Nyx and Christopher rejoin their fallen comrade without resistance.

Nyx removed a few scraps of cloth from beside the bed, offering them to Ai to use on her wound. Together, the three of them were able to rise.

“City watch?” Nyx whispered, though she had a sick feeling the demons could still hear her. “How much longer? I’d take the Black Hand over… fighting them alone.”

Ai looked at her like she was speaking another language. “Trust… Elenia’s authorities? Not to overreact and just kill us all? Lucia would never forgive me if her little brother died here.”

You don’t know what city you’re in, Nyx thought. Then again, Ai might be right. The Black Hand were ruthless in defending their territory. If they thought that Nyx and her companions had summoned these monsters...

“Forget about me,” Christopher said, resting his sword on his shoulder. He was feigning strength for their adversaries, but Nyx could see him sway. He could barely stand himself after the spell that had tried to steal his soul. “I can treat that, Ai. Just keep your guts in.”

“I’m working on it,” Ai grunted, her face white with pain. She won’t be any use if we fight. That seemed like a terrible idea, so Nyx turned for the open door. Surely the innkeeper had already heard the commotion, but even so. “Charlotte! Charlotte, call the watch! We’re not picky right now.”

Nyx’s throat was so raw that she could barely yell—certainly nothing as loud as the door had been when Ai tore it off the wall. But it was something.

“No one is coming,” the injured Incubus croaked. He pulled himself up into a sitting position, his bleeding slowing a little. Whatever he was, he healed far faster than they could. “They know to stay away. They know we’ll harvest them too.”

Nyx glanced back towards the hallway down, but no sound came from downstairs. No shouts of the Black Hand running for them. “You’re outnumbered!” she shouted, hoping she sounded braver than she felt.

“Not as much as you think,” said the uninjured demon. He circled the slain witch, reaching down with gentle fingers to caress the corpse’s arms, then her ruined face. The deep gouge from Nyx’s hatchet still pulsed faintly, seeping dark ichor.

The corpse moved. Not life, exactly, but her head twisted, one eye angling towards them. Her hand opened, her grip uncurling and pointing towards the injured Incubus. The worst part by far was the twisted smile on her face, looking like it was all for Nyx.

The injured Incubus sighed, nodding grimly. “Endless pleasures in this world or Hers,” he muttered to himself. “But only a visitor. Time to pay.”

“She always did like me more, Adriel,” said the other. “I’ll join you in time.”

Nyx lurched, heaving her axe towards the unhurt demon with all the strength she had. But if she hoped for a decisive blow, she was disappointed. It scraped along the Incubi’s arm, tearing flesh and spraying blood before tumbling to the floor.

He barely seemed to notice.

Christopher clutched at the rosary around his neck, muttering something in Spanish. But whatever he was praying for, his request wasn’t answered.

The witch clenched her hand suddenly shut. Adriel shuddered, his breath coming out in a single, shallow death-rattle. His body didn’t just fall limp, though. He withered, like a steak abandoned under a noonday sun. His whole body contracted, and what was left of his healthy skin tightened into a sunken death-mask. He fell sideways a second later, a desiccated husk.

And while he shriveled, the witch rose. Her skin sloughed and cracked along the edges, revealing something red and pulsing underneath. The tentacles slipped out from below her, fleshy, gnarled lengths of muscle and organ that moved her human-shaped sack of skin more than she moved them. But energy returned to her face, even as blood and viscera slipped through the cracks in her broken body. Nyx could swear she saw something gray and pulpy in that ruined skull, twitching along with everything else.

Perfect teeth fell away, even as her mouth stretched wider and wider. Nyx saw those same jagged fangs she’d dreamed about, row after row like a shark. Tendrils of flesh lashed out from behind her, shooting out to anchor her to the walls, the floor. Her eyes settled on her remaining companion, with something like affection on her face. “Return to them now, Feros. Tell Silvia that we have failed, but we will show the mother our devotion in death.”

He nodded, then darted for the window. 

Christopher lifted his sword high, blocking the window. “You’re… not leaving. Hell is expecting you.”

A fleshy mass as thick as Nyx’s torso slammed across the room, battering Christopher’s side and flinging him as casually as a stack of cards. His sword tumbled, and he landed in a crumpled, moaning heap.

Nyx didn’t move. The Incubus Feros reached the window, then pulled it open. Black wings spread out from behind him, splitting from his back with tearing skin that briefly twisted his face in agony. But only for a moment. He glanced behind them one last time, his eyes settling on her. Then he was gone, his wings carrying him up into the sky and away from Rhamsted.

“Bastard!” Christopher’s voice came from the floor. He had a dagger now, and he ripped into the tentacle pinning him with savage blows. The witch hardly even noticed.

Ai Chen bent down, lifting her fallen gauntlets onto bloody hands. She looked up, meeting Nyx’s eyes with desperate resolve. “Ready to… die if you are.”

Not yet, Nyx thought. The Aether was vast, and she had a little magic left. Nyx called into the void with every drop she had, begging, pleading for help. There was no time to screen the spirits she reached, no time to set careful terms. She could only plead, promising them a taste of Middara if only they would help her kill a demon. Demons had enemies, even powerful ones. 

Which Esper does Nyx summon to even the odds?

Balaan, the Lidless Eye was listening. A primordial esper from a distant corner of Arkalla where no human feet have ever stood, where the elements rage and lava pours from endless molten crags.

Or…

The Acroamatic, Lorekeeper of the Unseen was listening, and it came from a library of vast antiquity, where the secrets of every life are scrawled in pages of flesh. It would visit Middara to add a few more bloody pages to its record.