Day 4: Unlocks, Resin Samples, and Unpractical Armor!
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Jun 28, 2019 at 01:19:23 AM

The Convention Grind

We're at a local convention! Brooklynn, Alex, and the rest of the Succubus Team will be popping in and out of our booth at Salt Lake Gaming Con all weekend. If anyone wants to check out the game, try a demo, or just talk, go ahead and swing by!

Resin samples... oh my! 

The wonderful Resin Artists over at Trenchworx have once again solidified themselves as one of the best in the industry. We've got some amazing pictures of recently created molds of our Resin Miniatures currently on the campaign. 

Fun fact, these were hand poured, cut, and assembled by one of our regular Succubus Publishing designers/playtesters. The wonderful and talented Paul Figgins. (He's an employee over at Trenchworx.) However, the whole team over at Trenchworx is very talented and always on point! 

These pictures are of what you can expect from the actual product. In other words, these are not doctored in any way, and they are not masters. In fact, you can see that many could still be cleaned up. Instead, these are a first attempt at something that would be representative of the final product.  In fact, Trenchworx is working hard to perfect the product even further by stamping out imperfections in the process and miniatures themselves. 

Very vigilant of them! 

Even so, we're positively stoked on the quality and outcome of everyone's hard work! 

"Faust," Isla said as she looked over to the man. "Do you regret what we've done?" She looked uncertain, and a little afraid.

"Of course not!" Faust replied. "I’m happier than I've ever been. What's the point in living forever if you can't be with the one you love?"

Isla smiled. The light fell between the trees as the afternoon sun moved across the forest canopy. She had never felt such peace with another person. Not on Middara, and certainly not in Arkalla. Faust's kindness and surety made her feel at home, and she knew that it was genuine. It was a security she never thought she could have.

"Will it last forever?" She asked, watching the clouds pass by.

"Of course..." Faust smiled. "Us humans don't age, remember?" 

For our Day 4 unlock, we will be adding a figure to the KS2 Promo Box for the Isla Standee, featured in Unintentional Malum: Act 1. 

To be clear, this figure 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. 

 The people have spoken.. and how! 

The Gambeson might have been as useful in history as it was silly looking, but alas, the Frock has destroyed the competition!

All hail fantasy armor!  

Nyx Gains the Unique Mundane Accessory Clairvoyant Hooded Frock! 

(And so do you as a Free Upgrade to the KS2 Promo Box!)

Day 3: Unlocks, Money Based Stretch Goals, and Some Magical Armor!
almost 5 years ago – Thu, Jun 27, 2019 at 03:07:38 AM

Hey there backers!

To our new backers, we’re honored that you have enough interest in Middara to pledge your hard-earned money towards it!

To our Returning Backers, we are eternally grateful for your support. After all we’ve been through, you’re back again! And we couldn’t be more stoked.

Real Talk

Our Day 1 was insane. We put a lot of effort into making our launch a success, but this far exceeded our expectations. The interest kept pouring in, and with that interest came questions, comments, concerns, ideas, you name it. We’re talking thousands of messages and emails.

Right now, the two guys you see in our trailer video. That’s all we’ve got right now. Brooklynn and I are simultaneously doing our best to keep the hype rolling while trying to stay active and answer questions. But it’s frankly way more than two dudes can handle.

The Plan

So, what we’re doing is recruiting some help. We’re getting some of our fervent backers as well as some of our playtesters that are well-versed in our business to help us crush out our emails and messages. It’s hard for us to be active in the comments but we’ve got some awesome helpers there as well.

Their names are:

We’ve given these guys the Succubus Seal of Approval and the answers they give you should be correct.

FAQ

We can’t stress enough the importance of our FAQ. We are seeing a lot of questions popping up in comments and messages that are in the FAQ. We urge you to glance through either the document posted at the very top of the campaign page or the actual FAQ tab on the toolbar of the campaign.

With that said, there are many questions that remain unanswered and absent from our FAQ. Our new recruits that are helping us with our with the campaign will be compiling commonly asked questions for us to address and add to the FAQ. 

Thanks again for you patience while we handle all of this!

Money Based Stretch Goals!

 We've seen a lot of people wishing for the more traditional route for unlocking Stretch Goals which is tied to the dollar amount raised. That's understandable, and frankly a good way to raise wads of pledges quickly.

Honestly, this whole campaign is a bit of an experiment. We follow TONS of other campaigns and we really we wanted to see what works for us and what doesn't, what's fun and what isn't.

The landscape of Kickstarter has evolved so much since our first campaign that's it's almost turned into it's own form of entertainment. Unlocking cool things, watching the numbers go up, waiting for updates, seeing what the creators have in store! 

We've crushed it on our first days of this Kickstarter campaign. More so than we had anticipated. This really has allowed Brooklynn and I to entertain the idea of unlocking a whole new set of Stretch Goal freebies based on money pledged. These Stretch Goals will even further expand our world of Middara and the cast of characters within.

So, in short, we're capping out the "backer-based" Stretch Goals at 10k, and from here on out, transitioning into money-based ones. 

These money-based Stretch Goals will be free for all Pledge Levels (Through The Portal or higher). 

These combined with our fun Daily Unlocks will make for a legendary Promo Box.

So, moving on!

Echo was gasping for air and reaching out blindly around her. Something had scooped her eyes out in the battle, and her once pretty face was now a gore-stained ruin.  

“Does it hurt?” A voice came from nearby. Gragus’ form was hard to describe. His many limbs and appendages stretched out in all directions until they faded into the darkness, and it was difficult to discern where his voice was coming from. 

“It does. They're dead because of me.” Charon replied, as Echo’s screams drew his attention once again. “I cared for her...” Charon turned towards the vague shape that was Gragus. “I’d like to save her still.”

A long moment of silence passed before something appeared out of the dark. A stone face shot forward, coming to a stop a few feet away from Charon. “I can save her.” Gragus said. “Though, my esper will need to stay near.” Something floated nearby, like a tear in space itself. “The Soul Stitcher will allow me to reach her wherever she might go.”

“Reach her?” Charon asked with hope in his voice.

“Yes. I'm quite the surgeon.” Gragus said as a pair of sickly, spindly arms dropped from the darkness above, each one wielding a long needle and thread. “I’ll make sure she never dies if that is you're wish.”

“I do.” Charon smiled turning back to watch Echo. His old friend was reaching out blindly in the darkness, searching for something familiar that she'd never have again.  

 For our Day 3 unlock, we will be adding a figure to the KS2 Promo Box for the Soul Stitcher Standee, featured in Unintentional Malum: Act 1. This figure will be another big, scary 2x2 miniature! 

To be clear, this figure 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. 

 Nyx took the violin by the neck, lifting it by reflex as though she were about to play. She tilted it slightly, and sure enough there was the deep gouge she’d made into the wood when she’d dropped it after her first recital. Age hadn’t made the wood brittle and ruined as she might’ve expected—now the instrument thrummed with new magic. 

As she held it, she imagined she were smaller, accepting this from her father a few hours before her first performance. Her fingers moved automatically, tuning the ancient strings as she’d done a thousand times before. They held, and under her fingers bright pink symbols glowed from the instrument’s rim.

Someone screamed—a high, shrill voice, desperate and terrified. Nyx bolted for the door, though Kirien beat her through it.

Enoch thrashed about in bed, voice deafening in the small space. His hands spasmed into claws, tearing at the blankets and mattress as his body contorted. “Her eyes can see me! Watching with each step. Teeth at the throat of the world, tearing it out! The blood drowns us all!”

Jace strained to hold his friend down, but Enoch’s lithe twists were too rapid. Kirien’s hands were quicker, and soon enough a nurse rushed past Nyx from behind, with a needle already primed in one hand.

“I need her neck!” the nurse called, urgent. “Hold her still.” A few more tense seconds, then Enoch began to relax. His eyes glazed over, body sliding into a natural resting position. The mark had burned through the bandages over it, and the blankets above those. It left a dozen imprints on the bed, a ghostly trail of black marks wherever Enoch had moved.

“She shouldn’t have woken up,” the nurse whispered, tossing the spent needle away into a bin. Her eyes were pleading as she met Yun’s. “I already have her on more than I would give a man twice her size.”

“She was a man twice her size,” Jace muttered, finally letting go. Nyx now understood why he looked so haunted. She gave him one last, sympathetic glance, then slipped back outside. As awful as that was, what she had to say next would be worse.

Then she felt an unfamiliar hand touch her shoulder, just for a moment. She looked up, shaking her head once to clear away the memory. She tucked her new acquisition away.

“Are you still with us, Nyx?”

She nodded angrily, tilting her head slightly to one side. “You said the wolf-creature gave you this. Said you should… ask for my help to save the child, I’m assuming?”

Kirien shuddered. “We’re getting things a little out of order. First she wanted me to, uh… wanted me to kill him. Said that he was going to bring disaster, and thousands might die if I didn’t. It was hard to read, but I think she was pleased that I refused. That was when she gave me this, told me you might be able to help.”

But how did she get her paws on it? Objects from Earth aren’t even supposed to be in Middara at all. Nyx didn’t ask, of course. This Harbinger hadn’t even recognized the symbol. 

“I might. It all comes down to the mark. There are ancient texts in Faulkism that describe it—it’s a symbol of a terrible monster, who will one day arrive to unmake the fragile world of men and leave only an endless revel. Typical ancient religion stuff. Most people like to ignore the unpleasant things people used to worship. But she’s also probably the whole reason for the Great Divide, possibly even the Great Adversary referenced in the… neither of you are listening.” 

Yun had turned away to puff absently on his vape, while Kirien clutched the cross around his neck. “Some of us aren’t Godless pagans. Faulkan tradition might be tolerated in Elenia, but not elsewhere.”

Yun laughed. “That child is lucky we are Godless pagans. Where would Enoch be if he arrived in Brahma instead?”

Nyx could imagine the answer, and it involved the end of a Grim Deacon’s sword. Kirien’s sudden stillness was all she needed to know he was thinking the same thing. 

“It’s the only interpretation that fits the facts. The Dark Mother is too alien to stay here without a host, and the stories are all clear about the effect she has on her vessel. She—always a she—chose Enoch. My guess is, she’s not finished. Clearly the Dark Mother hasn’t taken her vessel, or we would all be dead.”

Despite his brief flash of religious fervor, Kirien didn’t object and only nodded his understanding. “I need to find Enoch’s family—they need to know. Whatever—” then he hesitated, looking to the side. “Yun Jeong. Did you, uh…”

He shook his head. “Enoch’s father? I did look into it. According to my sources, he left Elenia three days ago, I’ve determined that with certainty. Traveling north towards the Brahman border. Given his associates in the underground, I don’t suspect I’ll be able to find him.”

Kirien nodded solemnly. “Then despite everything, I have to ask the two of you for help. If not out of kindness to the child, then self-preservation. We can’t kill him because of what some… unknowable cosmic thing wants with his body. But we can save him. Her. Please.”

Yun turned away, apologetic. “I’ve given the child all the resources Elenia can spare. There is trouble in Fairedge, and what little Balthazar has left to me must be committed there.”

Kirien turned on Nyx. “You then. Lymn was right—you did know what was going on, and you do know how to help Enoch. I can’t stop pagan gods and ancient prophecies, but maybe you can.”

She might’ve been able to refuse, if it hadn’t been for the violin still hanging in her other hand. Or the screaming. “If the Dark Mother is real, she can’t be fought. Disrupted, maybe. Royally pissed off—hopefully. Yun, can you at least make sure somebody covers my classes?”

Yun nodded. Despite his stiffness, Nyx thought she could see some relief on his face. He didn’t really want this kid abandoned to his fate, no matter how big his other problems might be. “I’ll have someone escort you to the armory. If you see something there that you think will help you, take it. Consider it your royal commission.”

Despite everything, Nyx felt her mouth start to water. The Jeong family armory—all the greatest treasures unearthed from beneath the White Vaults. Few outsiders had even been near it.

“Thank you,” Kirien said. “And for what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re Godless heathens.”

Yun turned, unable to restrain a laugh. “Only because you don’t know me. But the sentiment it well taken, anyway.”

A few minutes later, and the last of the magical protections were finally lifted from in front of her. Nyx strode eagerly into the armory. A wealth of enchanted objects was displayed on pedestals, racks, and shelves everywhere she looked. There were swords that sang, armor that stretched and warped, more than she could appreciate in just a few minutes.

“He said you could have any one item you desired,” her escort said from behind her. “Look for as long as you like.”

She might’ve stayed for hours, gleefully testing each bauble and enchantment. But somewhere else in this ancient structure was a child tormented with a curse, who needed Nyx’s help. After a little searching, she narrowed her selection down to just two objects…

One was a sturdy cloth gambeson, light enough to wear comfortably but humming with protective magic.

The other was a frock of a light, modern cut, with far less in the way of protective magic. But what it lacked in protection it would offer in utility.

Day 2: Unlocks, Stretch Goals, And A Cacophonous Sound!
almost 5 years ago – Wed, Jun 26, 2019 at 02:59:56 AM

Happy Day 2, everyone! What a start! We can't believe it!

Thanks for joining us on this incredible journey and trusting us enough to support the game we've worked so hard to create!

We apologize for not being more active in the comments yesterday, we were running on fumes and did everything we could just to get the campaign launched and get an update out! We appreciate all of you wokring togetherr to answer eachothers questions.

Ok! Announcement!

Free miniature day is over!

If you're backer #7982 or lower, you get the Silvia miniature for free! Even if you only pledged $1, so long as you upgrade your pledge to our Through the Portal pledge level or higher, you'll get this figure as part of your pledge for free. We'll be taking care of everything on the back end using the pledge manager post campaign. 

(If you missed it, Silvia's now available as an Add-On for $15!)

"Nymph society expected Alana to embrace her short life span, and to face death with open arms, like it was something to be celebrated. Something that awful shouldn’t be glorified. Alana wouldn’t have it. She searched for a way to stop it. She researched the Middara's humans and longed for what they had; to never age, to live forever. She'd have it one way or another."

For our Day 2 unlock, we will be adding a figure to the KS2 Promo Box for the Alana and Casithus Standee, featured in Unintentional Malum: Act 1. This figure will be a big, scary 2x2 miniature! 

To be clear, this figure 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. 

Wow! We are amazed at the explosion of this campaign! We are blowing through these Stretch Goals faster than we ever imagined!

For our 7500 backer Stretch Goal, we will be unlocking another FREE Upgrade to the KS2 Promobox!

This upgrade provides a booklet with all the rules to turn Middara into a skirmish game both as a Side Quest as well as a casual game that can be played outside of our Adventure Mode. The Side Quests feature the Bellicose Arena and will pit players against each other in thematically appropriate locations of our game world. 

Depending on the choices they made, our Returning Backers who've made it through Chapter 3 of Act 1 might know a bit about Bellicose Arena in Middara already.

Bellicose Cubes

"Bellicose cubes erect magical arenas made through Curor rituals. They are fairly uncommon due to the high cost of crafting one, but almost all of the institutes and most large cities across Middara have one. 

To use a bellicose cube, one must make a small blood sacrifice into a basin. This attunes them to the cube until they exit. Once attuned, the cube protects them from taking any serious damage. This makes the cube ideal for combat training. That being said, getting hurt in the bellicose cube still causes pain, and it is not impossible to be killed by something sufficiently powerful. 

The cubes are not only used for combat training. Many also use them for sport. There are even widely followed bellicose leagues that operates across Middara. Despite the cube's protection, combatants are still regularly incapacitated in these fights. Deaths is rare, but a sufficient amount of pain can take even the most stalwart warrior out of the fight. 

While the bellicose cube seems like an invaluable thing for an adventurer to have, the amount of time it takes to set up an arena makes them highly impractical to take on the move."

The people have spoken! 

Nyx Gains the Rare Relic Etched Violin of Amdusias! 

(And so do you as a Free Upgrade to the KS2 Promo Box!)

Got funded and overshot three stretch goals before we could even write the update!
almost 5 years ago – Tue, Jun 25, 2019 at 02:30:35 AM

Wowsers! 

Brooklynn here… I haven’t slept in over 30 hours so I’m still in a fugue state trying to process all this. Thanks so much for supporting us. It’s very touching to see people as passionate about our game as us. This has been a long journey for me and Alex, and it’s incredibly humbling to see all the wonderful support.

Stretch Goals… so many backers, so fast, no sleep.

We didn’t think this would happen on Day 1, but here we are. 5000+ backers! We’re excited to announce that we’ve unlocked not one, not two, but three stretch goals! 

2500 Backers and counting!

We’ve unlocked physical copies of the 2-3 player Variant cards for all the new characters on this campaign, including Resin, Promotional Characters, the Day 1 figure, and anything in Act 2 and 3. These cards will be provided free of charge as an upgrade to the KS2 Promo Box. 

To prevent spoilers, we’ll only show off a few, but you can expect 10 different additional 2-3 player variant cards. 

Another Stretch Goal Annihilated! 

At the 3500 backer mark we wanted to reveal something simple, affordable, yet useful. This Free Unlock is a special request we’ve had from many of our passionate supporters. We’ve added a pad of Adventure Sheets for Unintentional Malum in the KS2 Promo Box. No longer must you suffer printing your own campaign sheets or marking your Rule Book.

The vile Pit Boss has unveiled himself!

Our 5000 Backer stretch goal has been smashed out before we could even type the update. But for our min-maxer’s out there, you mustn't think you’ll smash the Pit Boss as easily as you did our stretch goals. That build you think is impenetrable, the one you worked so hard to munchkin. The Pit Boss and his goons will test your meta-game knowledge like a party of grapplers facing a new dungeon master in 3rd edition.  

The Pit Boss will test your might and put your highly tuned group through the deepest sections of the Mines of Hyde. Beyond where even the most venerable warriors dare stray. And whether you end up living triumphantly as heroes, or rotting away as dead memories written on the pages of history books. One way or another, Bounties will earn your party fame in Middara.   

Our Bounty Packs are unlockable add-ons They provide unique side quests that can be attempted at rare moments in our narrative. Backers at our "With Swag" pledges level will receive these as part of their pledge. The Pit Boss Bounty Pack contains a Bounty Book, multiple new Initiative cards, two new Combatants, a new Boss Monster, new Monster Loot, and hidden Item cards for you to uncover.  

Behold! Our very own Nyx in her beautiful Summoner gear. She even has a magical girl staff… that subjugates others to her will.   

Our Nyx promotional figure is free and part of the KS2 Promo Box. She comes with two unique Item cards, a figure, an Adventurer Card, and an Initiative Card. 

SIlvia, the Dark Mother Cultist is the figure you can expect to get for free by being a Day 1 backer! Not only that, but you'll also be receiving her Adventurer card, two unique Items, and an Initiative Card!

We will be posting the backer number cut off for the free figure at 9AM MST tomorrow! Remember, as long as you back today, you'll get the free figure on the pledge manager. But if you miss it, you can still get it as an Add-On for $15 post campaign.

With that said, enjoy the first of our multipart "choose-your-own-adventure" story on this campaign. At the end of many of these segments you’ll be presented with a choice. At the bottom is a link to a poll where you can vote. 

At 4PM MST tomorrow we’ll close the poll and announce the choice that won later that afternoon! 

Be warned, anytime we have choices in our narrative they equate to real outcomes, different rewards, and different paths. The Item/figure/etc. that has the most votes will be included for free in our KS2 Promo Box.

The Item/figure/etc. that isn’t chosen, is gone forever…

Enjoy!

“You’re absolutely sure you needed to call me for this?” Nyx hurried behind Yun, struggling to keep up with his powerful strides. Yun practically sprinted through the White Spires’ halls, waving them past dozens of soldiers as they rapidly closed on the best-guarded place in all Elenia: its portal. “We’re giving the M.A.S.T. next week. I have some students who need all the extra tutoring they can get.”

Yun slowed suddenly, forcing Nyx to spread her dark wings to catch herself and stop from smacking into his back.

Yun had been tactily ruling Elenia ever since Balthazar and his family had left the city, but this was the first time Nyx had ever seen him look serious. “I’ve got two kids on my hands, both lucky to be alive. The harbinger who brought them asked for you specifically.”

Nyx folded her arms, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “What kind of harbinger tries to save two humans at once? I know the guild doesn’t take all their rules seriously, but…”

Yun turned away, gesturing for her to follow. They rounded the corner, stopping before the final vault door before the portal complex. Two figures in thick black robes sat beside the massive locking mechanism, as thick as any bank’s vault. The smaller of the two rose as Yun approached. Her face was completely obscured by black cloth, except for dark red eyes that never blinked. “Into the complex again, Master Yun?”

He nodded curtly.

The soldier turned, approaching the vault door. Glowing runes appeared in the air as she approached, a thousand different curses that had stopped many an intruder. Even Nyx with all her mastery of the arcane shuddered at the spells that had been crafted here to protect Elenia’s portal. Without it, the kingdom could not survive.

“If the harbinger was detected, why didn’t they postpone?” she asked.

Yun waved a dismissive hand. “He can explain.”

Light faded from before the vault door, and metal ground against metal. The guard’s massive companion kept his hands firmly on an oversized crossbow, eyes alert on the hall behind them for every second the door was open.

Yun didn’t take them into the massive portal chamber itself, though Nyx could feel its alien magic even through solid stone. They passed a gigantic mural painted on one wall, proclaiming: “ELENIA WELCOMES YOU TO MIDDARA!” The moment a human arrived in Middara was meant to be a time of celebration, almost sacred. There was no party here today, no family to greet the new arrivals.

Yun took them to a much smaller side door, with no locks or guards. He pushed the door open, and Nyx followed him into the infirmary.

It wasn’t large, just big enough for two oversized cots and a medical closet. Sterilized surgical tools hung right beside a large blue container of enchanted balm, with higher shelves weighed down by jars and mysterious bottles. No medical monitors, though the stench of antiseptic would’ve let Nyx recognize the hospital even with her eyes closed.

The room had four occupants: a doctor, two patients, and a grizzled man Nyx guessed for the harbinger. All three who had come from Earth looked bad, covered with bandages and recent stitches. 

Yun was the first to speak, his voice more subdued than he’d ever sounded at any royal function before. “I brought the professor as you asked. I share her curiosity for how she’s involved. Nyx, this is Kirien, the harbinger I spoke of.”

As she approached, Kirien rose, striding over and offering his hand. 

Nyx walked past them both, ignoring him and stopping beside the hospital beds. 

The guy looked mostly intact, though there were several empty healing potions piled up beside the bed, and bandages covered most of his bare chest. He sat up as Nyx approached, watching warily. 

“Hi!” she said, grinning cheerfully at the recently Advanced humans. “Sorry to hear your way in from Earth didn’t go that great.”

The guy seemed taken aback, running a confused hand through his unruly hair. “I’m… I’ll be fine,” he said, nodding towards the other bed. “My best friend, Enoch. He…” He trailed off. “She’s the one who needs your help, not me.”

“She…” Nyx repeated, taking a few steps to the side and inspecting the second cot. Its occupant was thin and pale, with long red hair running down her back. Her breathing was ragged and shallow, and she didn’t so much as open her eyes as Nyx approached. “It’s rare for the advancement to that. Not without…” She looked away, though the patient being unconscious made it a little less awkward than it might’ve been. “He? That was how he identified?”

Kirien nodded. “I was on Earth for Enoch, son of a friend of mine. He matched the description right until we went through the veil. And that’s not the half of it.” He slid past her to Enoch’s bed, lifting the thin sheets covering him. He pulled them back, exposing a fresh wound.

A strange symbol of interlocking crosses was burned right into his skin, glowing with an unearthly light. As she watched, each pulse made Enoch stir uneasily in his sleep. “I’ve seen this…” Nyx stammered, turning towards the cupboards. “We’ve got the best regeneratives in Middara. He’s had the Soma, so why is he still… like this?”

“We tried,” Kirien said, lowering the blanket carefully back into place. “No, it wasn’t the angels. Everything else you see was their best attempt at cutting us into tiny pieces, but those wounds are healing. The brand isn’t.”

“And before you ask,” Yun added from behind her. Nyx had almost forgotten he was still here. “I had Armaros examine the injury. Yes, the magic is active, and no he doesn’t have a clue what school it is, much less how it might be dispelled. But it’s killing her.”

“Not in here.” Nyx turned away from them again, stopping beside the boy’s cot. “We’ll help your friend,” she promised, meeting his eyes. “Just keep her—him. Keep him company in the meantime. I’m sure he’s grateful to have you here.”

He nodded, squeezing her hand. His eyes were wide and haunted, and constantly skimming the room for danger. “Can you change him back? Enoch, I mean. He’s not supposed to be like this.”

Nyx let go. “The Advancement is permanent. But you can still be here for him when he wakes up. I’m sure that will mean a lot.” Then she turned, leaving the terrified kid behind.

She led the others out, where they wouldn’t give this poor kid nightmares about things he wasn’t yet ready to understand. Only when the door was shut did she spin on Kirien, yanking him down to eye level. Her tail snapped angrily against the ground, punctuating her shouting. “I want to know why the hell you went in for those kids with angels on your ass. And while you’re at it, why did you go for two humans at once? Do you even care about what the guild says?”

“He doesn’t,” Yun said, puffing on something in two fingers. A wave of vanilla-smelling vapor emerged from his mouth, and he sighed, relaxing. “This wasn’t a sanctioned retrieval. The whole thing was freelance.”

Kirien pulled away, glaring defiantly at her. “The angels were already coming. That mark you saw—it was on Enoch before his Advancement. His friend, Jace—he’s the only reason Enoch is still alive. You know how it is—once you start fighting, an angel doesn’t care what you are. It was bring him or leave him to die.”

Nyx glanced to the side. “Is that what Jace said?”

Yun nodded once. “Confirmed the story without Kirien present to pressure him. If we didn’t think he was telling the truth, he’d already be in a cell.”

“Everything about this is wrong,” Nyx muttered darkly. “Angels don’t attack humans, and the brands of dead gods don’t just appear before someone even passes through the veil. Are we… are we sure that Enoch hadn’t already been to Middara? Maybe that’s why the angels were after him?”

Kirien shook his head. “I saw the advancement myself. His friend was through it in a few seconds, but for Enoch… it felt like he’d never stop screaming.” He reached behind his leather jacket, lifting something he’d been concealing in his pack and holding it up for her to see. 

A mysterious lockbox covered in ancient runes. The following Item has been added to the KS2 Promo Box. 

A dark metal box with brass filigree, studded with gemstones. The box was covered in strange symbols, 

most of which were so ancient and obscure that Nyx didn’t recognize them. But one stood out prominently: the same mark that was branded onto Enoch’s belly. 

“You recognize this symbol, don’t you?” Kirien asked, tossing her the box.

Nyx caught it, touching the box only gently at first, as though contact might activate some unseen curse. It didn’t, though the symbols did shift and move. It seemed that no matter what way she looked at the box, the mark always moved to face her, sliding along its rough metal surface like oil on water. 

“Yeah,” Nyx said, unable to take her eyes from the strange symbols. Her fingers worked, searching for a latch or clasp to open the box. But no matter what way she turned it, it didn’t open.

“It’s the mark of the Dark Mother Divine,” she whispered. “But this is the first time I’ve ever seen it in a real artifact. Before today, it was only ever in edgy tattoos.” 

Kirien nodded gravely. “I’ve taken dozens of new arrivals through my Room before. It isn’t unusual to find an object waiting for us. Clothing, weapons, relics, cores… but this wasn’t the only thing waiting for us. There was a… creature already there.” He raised a hand, silencing her. “I know, that’s supposed to be impossible too, she wasn’t touching us when we went in. Seeing the pattern yet?”

Nyx shut her mouth, going back to tugging on the lid. But it didn’t budge. “I guess the kid vouched for you there too?”

Yun nodded. “And we couldn’t open the box. Tried everything up to and including blasting it to pieces, and nothing works. If you’re about to summon that lockpicking esper, save it. There’s no way to open it.”

Kirien ignored him. “While Enoch was writhing on the floor… she watched us. Bigger than a wolf, bright purple fur—do you know an esper named Lymn?”

“A wolf-shaped esper named Lymn,” Nyx repeated. “Can’t say I’ve heard of anything like her. Are you sure it wasn’t a warp dog? Pink horn, thin tail…”

Kirien shook his head. “She’s the reason I called for you. She gave me proof I was supposed to deliver to you.” He reached into his pack again, pulling out…

Community Choice

An old, rugged violin, the very first she ever played on Earth. Though the lacquer is faded and scratched, the old wood seems strangely intact despite the many years. Words of power glow along its outer edge, filling Nyx with a profound sense of familiarity. 

 An ancient plush doll, still smelling of the apartment Nyx’s mother had sewn it in. The doll has a few new stitches holding it together, and someone has given it a model of an enchanted Core to hold. Its plastic eyes seem friendly.  

Oh, last thing. We finally got the Chapter 3 audio files up on our Downloads page!