Middara: Unintentional Malum - The Complete Trilogy

Day 29: Yosia, Sister of Arkalla, The Dark Mother, and Hard Choices!
almost 5 years ago – Tue, Jul 23, 2019 at 01:41:32 AM

For our Day 29 unlock, we will be adding a miniature to the KS2 Promo Box for the Sister of Arkalla Standee, featured in Unintentional Malum: Act 3.   

This Miniature is an Esper and an Opposing Esper in Act 3.   

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 are already a part of the contents of Unintentional Malum: Act 3 will remain a standee.      

Our Dark Lady, do not despair me. Show me myself. Let me not grieve at the sight of myself, nor at what others have to say. Acceptance is a virtue all on its own. Make me whole again and guide my mind by discarding false consciousness.

I burn for thee at heart and yearn for that which I do not have. Yea, that is wrong. Teach me to burn for me at heart, and yearn for that which I can achieve. Whisper the secrets I must know to believe in myself above all else, and find purpose through my actions and my family.

For the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. I'll be surrounded by the family I choose. The coven is my family, it's allies are my family, and those who unknowingly wander the path of the Dark Mother are my family.

The reverie is a tide that acts on its own. It shall claim all those we wish to be claimed in due time. Let not your righteous zealous be forced upon those who deny this path. But do not suffer those whose will is excreted upon the weak or the feeble-minded.

The law above all must always revered. Love is the law, law under will.

 As a Day 29 unlock we're stoked to announce our cross promotion with Japanime Games!  

Talk about veterans in the industry! These guys have really done their best to spread that unique Japanese culture around the world. Eric Price has been constantly giving us advice and has always been willing to share his anecdotal experiences with us and we cannot thank him enough.    

Their Kamigami Battles Kickstarter really captured our attention with the idea of gods being re-imagined. We thought it'd be a perfect fit to come up with a god together in the Middara universe and then share it with them for future product.

The Dark Mother Divine was a perfect fit! Using their artists and designers we worked together to come up with something together. That way, the art would fit in their game as well as ours.

We decided on an Exalted Esper. These creatures are our god-like entities in Middara. And best yet, this is a free upgrade added to the KS2 Promo Box!

Not only is Kamigami Battles and its expansions available for Order right now, but the second expansion is also available for Pre-Order and planned to be released at GenCon!  

We also want to give a shameless plug for BESM. While we weren't even told to mention that game in this cross promotion, I've been playing BESM for nearly ten years, and I can't recommend it enough for groups looking for that wild authentic anime style role playing experience!

Plus... it's live on Kickstarter right now!

Bring me that fourth edition, baby!

Nyx backed away, eyes darting between each of their enemies in turn. If her previous experience with witches was any guide, they were in trouble. But she’d been preparing for this moment during her climb, squeezing all the power she could into her staff. There was no more common sense to keep her restrained. It was all or nothing.

Nyx released all that power, calling out for help as she’d done in Padric’s Inn. But where that call had been desperate and vague, this time she had a specific being in mind. Sounds stretched and time warped around her, and for an instant Nyx was in Arkalla. Not just that distant library, but standing there, on a blasted expanse of rock surrounded by ruined buildings. A figure loomed over her, impossibly huge. But space itself was more of a suggestion than a rule.

“Yosia, Sister of Arkalla!” Nyx called, lifting off the ground and hovering above the windswept wasteland. “I need your help.” She hadn’t come to this awful place alone. Halphas hopped up onto her shoulder, looking up at the vast being whose power Nyx hoped to borrow. “Be ready to get us home if she doesn’t like me,” she whispered. Though now, she was less confident in his strength to do so. 

The demon resembled a human herself in general suggestion, with massive wings and a ring of debris circling her like a planet. Suddenly she was beside Nyx, apparently at human size. She hovered there without using her wings. “New customer. First time, I just want the bodies. Fair?”

If I say no, I bet you don’t send me back. “Yes,” she said, extending one hand. The strength flowed from Nyx in a terrible wave. She leaned heavily on her staff, legs shaking and unable to hold her up. Yosia burned through the floor as she passed, leaving emptiness behind her that hissed and popped with energy. A hole apparently opening right into her sky, left there in the floor.

Time caught back up with her, a sudden crash of sound and motion. She backed away, taking in what had happened. Halphas hopped back down off her shoulder, where he could more easily avoid the fight, but stayed close enough to protect her if she called on him. Ai and Christopher fought Silvia and her rat familiar, and seemed to be beating the witch back towards the curtains.

“This seems fair.” Salma and the creature in dark purple robes stepped between them, cutting off Nyx’s path to help. Her friends were on their own now. “Who do you think has the better summon, professor?”

Nyx couldn’t see much of his face, just a single yellow eye shining out between white hair.

“I’ll kill the undead first,” Yosia said. Or it looked like she was speaking. Her mouth didn’t actually move, yet the sound filled the room, practically shaking the tower. If I found out one of my students had tried to summon something like you, Yosia, they’d be scrubbing toilets for a year. Nyx might be one of the only Assemblage users in all Elenia who could bring something like her and live through the experience.

They fought. Yosia met the dark figure with a pair of strangely curved, glasslike swords, spinning them through the air so fast that they blurred and warped the space around them. She landed blow after blow, yet the dark figure barely even noticed. Her strikes cut right through the cloth of his cloak, yet he never bled, never staggered. He waited until her first flurry of attacks had passed, then caught her by the neck and smashed her through the wall and out into the open sky.

Stone and plaster formed a cloud, obscuring this new opening to the blue sky. For a few seconds, before she flew right back on dark wings. She stopped beside the opening, slashing it wider with her swords, then shoving her way back into the tower.

A way out.

Nyx couldn’t follow that fight any further, because that was when Salma tried to kill her. 

Nyx lashed out with a few of her spells, but the witch didn’t give her much time. She swung her clawed hand, smacking it into her again and again and forcing Nyx to retreat. 

“Halphas, now!” The familiar emerged behind Salma, lashing out with Nyx’s own magic. Thick chunks of debris ripped right off the floor, lashing out at Salma in a spray like bullets. Nyx felt the brief sting of blood as a shallow wound opened on her shoulder, but the payment was more than worth it.

Salma hesitated, her hideous body torn by fresh wounds down her torso. Then her smile widened, and the openings began to stitch themselves closed, leaving a few more terrible scars on her already-broken flesh. “Is that it?” She reached to the side, taking a heavy tome in her still-human hand and snapping it at Halphas. The familiar squealed as she struck, then went flying, sliding across the room to rest limply beneath a table.

Nyx gasped as she felt the little creature’s pain, nearly doubling her over. Salma advanced, and this time she had her claw ready to swing.

She might’ve struck Nyx right in the face, but that was the moment that Nyx called on the power of her Hooded Frock. Nyx inhaled, forcing herself to relax and letting the power of the Frock open her perception. She reached out, striking against Salma’s half-insane psyche for a moment with a wave of powerful confusion. 

Salma swung at her again, but this time her eyes glazed over, and her arm came down in the wrong place, slicing through the bookshelf and scattering forbidden tomes through the air.

Christopher, meanwhile, was fighting for his life. Silvia was stronger than he was, and when it came to speed she was in another league completely. She blurred around him, making it difficult to follow her with his eyes, much less land a single blow. She didn’t seem to know what she was doing exactly—she wasn’t taking a fighting stance, wasn’t dodging through the forms of  any discipline he had studied. She wasn’t a trained fighter, let alone a Grim Deacon. Just a young woman with more power than she knew what to do with.

It’s her demon goddess’s power. She’s given her servant more strength and speed than she knows how to use. For a second, Christopher wondered how mighty he would be with power like that, trained and disciplined instead of flailing about wildly.

“You.” Her eyes settled briefly on Tomoe, who had been making her way towards the scroll. Blood welled on one hand, and a second later erupted from the wall beside Tomoe in a wave, knocking her back towards the ragged curtain. “Why did you involve yourself in this? This isn’t your world, get out!”

“Leave her alone!” Christopher struck out at Silvia again, anticipating her dodge and aiming for the space beside her, instead of striking at the witch directly. Silvia’s arm split open, spraying blood for a second and making her recoil. 

Then she turned on him, and smashed into his breastplate with an open palm. The summoned metal exploded from around him in a shower of light, flinging him backwards. His legs caught on Sandra’s cage and his world went spinning, before he banged hard into the ground.

“This is all you brought?” Silvia teased, stalking around him. She had a dagger held backhand, but she didn’t use it. Her words were just as barbed. “I know your type, Paladin. I knew every time you visited my father’s house you were all bluster and no action. It’s easy to swing your sword at peasants who don’t believe in your god. What is it like to fight someone who is a champion of the divine?”

She kicked him, and he went tumbling across the room, his armor cracking and his sword almost yanked from his grip. But he held on, mending his wounds even as he slid to a stop.

Then he looked up, and found the undead abomination that had been the Ortiz parents staring down at him. A drop of black ichor landed beside his face, nearly making him vomit again.

“You don’t have to do what she wants,” Christopher muttered, hauling himself to his feet. The last gasps of his healing magic faded from him, but he didn’t dare use what little he held in reserve. “Fight her.”

“They can’t,” Sandra said, from the other end of the cage. “My parents were free to choose to join the Mother in her revel. I have taken that choice from them now.” She pointed at Christopher. “Kill him.”

Christopher could see the horror in their eyes, the recognition. They hesitated, for just a moment. Then they smashed into him, flailing stumplike arms and forcing him to lift his sword. He slashed, severing one limb and piercing the torso once, twice—but they were so strong. Like so many undead he’d encountered, they would keep fighting until they were destroyed.

Christopher screamed as his armor smashed, and one leg gave way beneath it, knocking him backwards. A lesser man might’ve been incapcitated by the pain alone, but Christopher gritted his teeth against the scream, rolling to dodge around a fallen bookshelf, luring the creature away from where Tomoe lurked. I didn’t bring you this far to see you killed now. 

He nursed a limp on one leg, holding his massive blade up only with both arms. Blood soaked through his clothes—could he even swing the sword anymore? Christopher reached back to his training, calling on the last of his magical reserve. His spell came whispered through bloody lips like a prayer. The piercing pain in his leg fled, replaced with a terrible ache. His wounds stopped bleeding, knitting closed with pale, scarred flesh. But as that pain left, he was left with a terrible emptiness—the certainty that he could not heal again.

The abomination had only two legs working now, it wobbled and struggled forward. Yet it followed him anyway, not caring about the damage. It stopped a few feet away, staring transfixed at his bloody face.

“Stop hesitating,” Silvia said, ringing her little silver bell again. “I said I wanted him dead!” Then she stopped, turning with sudden horror at whatever Ai had just done to her familiar. Christopher heard the rat’s squeal of agony, and hoped at least that monster was dead.

“Kill…” said the creature, through both of its rotten mouths. “Us…”

“I will,” he muttered, watching as it bore down on him. It had no weapons, but seemed prepared to bludgeon him to death with its weight alone. It’s going to try and crush me. Christoper saw his opening—a desperate, futile plan. But he wasn’t sure what other options he had. “You will rest soon, old friends.”

He slid away, forcing the monstrosity to follow him. It wobbled on its legs, lashing out with one arm. He dodged out of the way, and this seemed to frustrate it. Finally it reared back on one of its half-severed stumps, before tearing forward. All that rotten mass came crashing down towards him. 

Instead of swinging his massive sword, Christopher braced it against the ground with both arms, leaning into the attack rather than trying to dodge away. He aimed right at the center, where the two hideous trunks of the Ortiz parents had been stitched together. 

He felt his leg snap under the weight of the monster, screaming as shattered bone pierced skin. But while the force of the blow crushed him, he braced his huge sword against the floor, holding it steady as the monster that had been his friends slid along the blade. The steel of his weapon held, even where his own bones could not. His sword slid true, right to the abomination’s rotten heart.

The creature spasmed once as his strike landed, spraying sulfurous ichor from is every stitch and open wound. It struggled for a few more seconds, but with each kick, the blade impaling it only sliced the creature more deeply. Finally, it fell still.

Be at peace, old friends, Christopher thought. Then unconsciousness swallowed him.

Nyx went spinning away, her staff banging against the wall out of reach. She smashed into the sofa, knocking it over and moaning with pain. Salma advanced on her, her strange body barely even scratched by Nyx’s spells. “Looks like my monster won against your monster,” she said, gesturing across the room. He had more than beaten her, but impaled Yosia through the back with his massive sword. 

Yosia wasn’t dead, the demon kicked and struggled against the sword, trying to rise. She couldn’t.

Nyx tried to get up, but Salma’s foot shoved her back down, crushing her against the floor with incredible strength. “I promised you blood,” she called, the strange lisp of her horrible teeth grating against Nyx’s ears. “I keep my promises. Which one do you want to kill?”

Nyx glanced across the room, eyes searching for help. She found Christopher first, crushed under the weight of the undead abomination. His sword stood vertically, piercing through the monster’s still form. He’d killed it, at the cost of being able to keep fighting himself. She would receive no help there.

She looked for Ai next, hoping that maybe she would see Nyx’s need—but then she saw Silvia throw a bookcase at her. Pocky caught Ai in the air, and the two of them vanished, reappearing on the other side of the room to come at the witch from behind. If I distract her, Silvia might kill her. She could only hope that her summon was playing some kind of trick. Halphas emerged from under the crushed table, resting a sympathetic paw on Nyx’s hand. She could see the weakness in his face—he didn’t have any magic left either.

It’s okay buddy. We’ll get out of this somehow.

Count Dalv seemed pensive as the battle raged around them. He glanced between Nyx and her own summoned demon. He left his sword pinning Yosia, drawing an intricate dagger from within his jacket and turning it over in one gloved hand. He stopped beside her, looming over Nyx.

“That is not… what you promised. I can have as much blood as I wish without your help.” He lifted one booted foot, turning away from the defeated Yosia. He ignored Nyx, Ignored the fallen Christopher, and the struggling Ai Chen. They were beneath his contempt. 

“You promised to pay what I wanted. So I want… her. The one I loved, the one who lives now only in my memory of her touch. Her smile will haunt me until I see her face again.” His expression hardened, and he extended one hand, still dripping with Yosia’s dark blue blood. “Raise my wife as you raised me. Give her what I do not deserve. Now.” 

Salma’s eyes widened with horror, and she retreated from Count Dalv. She didn’t have very far to go, just a few steps back. She spread her arms out anyway, muttering the same spells that she’d used before and opening the same seal. But as Nyx watched, her stance got more slouched, her expression more panicked. After a few seconds, the seal faded, and the power dissolved away.

“S-she’s… not there,” she stammered. “Please, something else! There has to be something else you want! Power, blood, wealth… we have all of them here! Whole vaults of precious stones, the adoration of an army, as much blood as you can—”

One of Dalv’s hands snapped out, closing around her neck and lifting her from the ground. She struggled, one claw flailing uselessly towards him. He caught it with his other hand, pushing it back so hard Nyx heard the crunch of bone. “Why. Not?”

“Erebus… is filled with the souls of… the damned. Worse than damned. The one you want… isn’t there. I can’t resurrect someone who isn’t there.”

Nyx couldn’t see Count Dalv’s face, yet for the first time Nyx was sure she heard real pain as he roared, shaking Salma’s body like a ragdoll. He slashed at her neck and chest with his claws, drawing huge wells of blood that soaked through her thin robe.

“Salma!” Silvia looked away from the fight she was having with Ai Chen, eyes wide with horror. That’s why you don’t summon monsters you can’t pay, Nyx thought bitterly. It was hard to feel sympathy for Salma after what she’d done to Sandra.

It was just the opening that Ai Chen needed. Nyx saw her leap forward, emerging from behind Silvia when she turned her back. She struck with a dozen faintly-glowing knives, piercing her chest from neck to navel. Silvia hesitated, looking down at her chest with disbelief. Then she wobbled and fell, striking the carpet with a wet thump. Yet she still spoke, her voice ragged and strained. “Salma... no…”

Count Dalv raged for a few more moments, then rose from the Salma’s fallen body with fresh red blood staining him instead of Yosia’s blue. Salma’s corpse still twitched and spasmed faintly, though it no longer looked human. 

He ignored Nyx completely, stalking across the room and removing his sword from where he had impaled Yosia. “She should have left my soul where she found it,” he said. There was a flash of light, bright enough that Nyx was momentarily blinded—then Count Dalv was gone.

Almost the instant he disappeared, Yosia rose from where she’d been pinned, her body already repaired. She stopped in front of the broken, bleeding Silvia, yanking her by the collar. “My payment,” she declared. Nyx staggered to her feet, too weak to do anything to stop her even if she wanted to.

Apparently Salma wasn’t a corpse after all. Strands of red muscle flexed and twisted around her ruined throat, just as the coven mother had done in the inn. Even so, she was powerless against Yosia’s grip, twitching and spasming in vain. “Sister!” Her voice was bloody and twisted, not even remotely human anymore. “H-help.” 

Yosia reached her opening in the floor, passing through it so swiftly that some of Salma’s bones broke as she dragged her through. The floor settled back into place, erasing any trace of the demon’s passage.

Nyx limped across the room, scooping up her staff and making her way over to the scroll. She ignored Silvia, other than staying out of reach in case she had some last attack planned that Nyx couldn’t predict. 

“Pocky, help me!” Ai protested, shoving on the corpse pinning Christopher down. While they fought it, Nyx stopped in front of the scroll. She could sense the magic building there now, fraying the boundaries of her world. For a moment Nyx imagined a hospital far away, buried under the white spires. As this ritual neared its climax, Enoch was dying. We might be too late. He might be host to the Dark Mother already.

Lymn appeared in a brief flash of light, momentarily startling Nyx. She gazed down over their heads, her single red eye never leaving the scroll. “You must destroy it,” she said, voice absolute. “Silvia channels the past into the present through this scroll. While it exists in this tower, the ritual goes on. The threads of her sympathy can be torn and the boundaries of your world knitted back together. If you hurry.”

“Wait!” Tomoe caught her hand, pushing the staff away. “I know why I’m here. The one I’m here to save isn’t here. The boy you came for…” her eyes settled on the scroll. “This will save him.” She reached out, taking the massive scroll in both hands and cradling it to her chest. Her expression changed to one of utter concentration. There was a harsh crack, a puff of smoke—and Tomoe vanished, taking the scroll with her.

Nyx felt the impotent magic of Silvia’s ritual lash out against her like pressure against her skin. The table turned to pale ash around it, crumbling away. So did the floor and the bookshelf beside it. Nyx was forced to back away as rot spread to a nearby bookshelf, then the floor. It stopped short of Nyx. Whatever was left of the scroll or Tomoe was gone, and the ritual came to a screeching halt.

“Too late,” Silvia said, clawing her way up into a sitting position. Even that much effort seemed a terrible strain for her. Blood pulsed out from her torn chest, and dribbled out her cracked lips with each word. Her eyes were wide with pain, already glazing over, but the power of Mother was apparently keeping her alive. “We didn’t… finish preparing her vessel, but we have done much. The opening is… wide enough.” She touched her bloody chest, then reached down to the floor, drawing a seal with her shaking finger.

“The prophecy will be fulfilled. Our Mother will come. You will… pay for… what you did to Salma.”

The magical pressure against Nyx became an audible tearing, and a vertical opening appeared exactly where the scroll had been. Nyx could see utter blackness there, speckled with faint stars. 

“Stop,” Nyx whispered, taking a few more nervous steps back. She didn’t dare get any closer, or else get caught up in this summoning spell. She couldn’t come anywhere near it without being sucked in like a magnet. “Silvia, this is exactly what Salma did! If you summon something you can’t control… it will take everything from you!”

“You already… did that,” Silvia whispered, making one last mark on her little circle. Thunder sounded through the room, an explosion of sound that knocked Nyx back and scattered dozens of fallen books.

A single black tentacle ripped through the opening, as thick as Nyx’s body. It pierced the stone ceiling, shaking the Ziggurat as it yanked itself through.

Nyx ran, turning to the other side of the room over to where Ai and Christopher rested. They had retreated as far from Silvia as they could, to where Count Dalv had thrown Yosia through the wall. A rope now hung out the opening, tied around the bottom of the cage. Nyx could see the end dangling frightening far from the ground—even if they could climb that in time, it wouldn’t be any better than just jumping from here.

“You have to warp down, Pocky,” Ai whispered, pulling the dog up against her chest, hugging him desperately to herself. “Take Christopher. His sister will kill me if… he doesn’t make it out of this.”

Pocky whined in protest—but then another tentacle ripped its way out, lurching straight for Silvia. 

“I’ve been waiting for you, Mother! I’ve done everything you asked!” She vanished into the mass of alien flesh. It twitched and writhed, momentarily sated. 

“Not me,” Christopher answered. “I’m… here to save the Ortiz family.” He pointed across the room. Nyx followed his gesture, watching one of the tentacles tear off the side of the cage. Sandra—poor, mutilated Sandra, backed away from the abomination expanding to fill the room, somehow feeling it even without her eyes or ears. “Her, Pocky. Bring her out. I probably… won’t even last long enough to reach a doctor.”

There was no time to have an argument about it. The Mother’s Avatar roared, her voice shaking the Ziggurat to its foundations. Another tentacle smacked into the ceiling, tearing out several blocks. Even if she didn’t kill them all intentionally, the ceiling might collapse on their heads and do her work for her.

“Do it, Pocky!” Ai yelled. 

The dog took one last look at Nyx, nodding towards Ai chen. A plea that she do for her what Pocky was doing for Sandra? Then he darted off, settling down beside Sandra—and they vanished. 

“You too, Nyx,” Christopher coughed, wiping blood from his face. “You’ve got wings. Get out. Get the Elenia navy here… blast this place to dust for us.”

Nyx spread her wings, her heart racing. She could fly to safety, but she couldn't just run away and leave both of her new friends to die. She had to try and save who she could.

Nyx glanced through the opening again, judging the distance to the jungle floor beyond. Then she looked back, face grim. “I’m barely strong enough to fly on my own,” she said weakly. “But I think I can carry one of you. At least… slow us down enough that we don’t both die.”

Nyx had a hard choice to make. Who would she try and fly down the tower with? She wanted to take both, but she'd be lucky to make it down alive with the weight of only one other person. With Pocky already ensuring the safety of Sandra at the orders of Ai Chen, Nyx had to choose between Ai Chen, or Christopher.

Who was Nyx going to try and save and who was going to be left behind to suffer a horrific death at the hands of the Exalted Exper that Silvia had summoned? 

Save Ai Chen.

Or

Save Christopher Amaya.

Ai Chen's Adventurer Card

Christopher Amaya's Adventurer Card

Day 28: Limited Realities, an Undead Lord, and the Time for Blood!
almost 5 years ago – Mon, Jul 22, 2019 at 01:54:53 AM

The world is an evil place. Order is the only path to peace, while chaos is the bane of all good creatures. Many have a warped worldview with misguided concepts of right and wrong. They base their opinions on their own limited realities. As if they are the only important creatures in existence and any truth outside of their perception has no bearing on their actions or how they might affect others. 

My personal revelations have taught me of things which they don’t even know exist. 

I must act on my own accord. Many will criticize me, and many will hate me. But I will not falter, nor will I relent. The cold truth is that those who are unwilling to help will only hurt. They must be banished from our realms for the sake of order, and all those who are good.

I don’t write these things out of malice, or some misguided principle based upon the words I’ve been told during my upbringing. Instead, I write this from a place of higher knowledge. I’ve seen things which many cannot comprehend. I’ve seen people die, families murdered, cities burned, kingdoms forgotten, countries sink, planets decay, and solar systems go cold. I’ve seen a universe that contains infinite wonders, and infinite horrors. 

Humans, and those like them, can only dream of a reality in which their moral code still has any sort of meaning. They lack the context required to understand even the simplest ideas of morality. They're minds are clouded with meaningless details created by their limited perceptions of reality.  

 I’m told that the world isn’t so black and white, that shades of grey line the spectrum of experience. This is an argument many use to take comfort in their lives of sin and filth. They obviously don’t know the truth of their existences. They haven’t seen the things I’ve seen. I take pity on them. Their fragile concepts of good and evil will shatter when the veil that covers their worldviews lifts, revealing the meaning of their lives. And In that moment, all living creatures will inevitably understand what I do. 

Their lives have meaning, and reality is indeed black and white.

For our Day 28 unlock, we will be adding a massive 2x2 miniature to the KS2 Promo Box for the Judas 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 are already a part of the contents of Unintentional Malum: Act 1 will remain a standee. 

Count Dalv was an exceptional man during his past "human" life, trained since it was young to become the most valiant knight of the Dragon Order, Dalv was the hand of king Rastan for a while, but then… the death of his loved wife changed everything, he embraces the night by accepting the Dark Gift, becoming a creature of the darkness... a bloodthirsty Vampire! Following the dark plans of his puppeteer… the dreadful Undead Lord!

The rest of his tragic story is written in the chronicled of the Sword & Sorcery saga, starting from Immortal Souls to finish with Darkness Falls…

And is here that his story continues in the Middara Universe!

In fact, the powerful witch called Salma, with a promise to give to Dalv anything he wishes for (and if you know Count Dalv, you know what he might be going to ask...) brings him into the realm of Middara to defeat her enemies... but the dark gift of our Vampire Lord is stronger than ever, and he is not going to be just a witch's puppet! Which price will Sandra pay for the foolishness of her actions?

Check out the cards: Adventurer Card | Cape of the Undying (Accessory) | Cape of the Undying (Relic) | Void Sword (1-Handed)  | Void Sword (2-Handed)

Brooklynn here!

Hot damn! As a Day 28 unlock we're excited and humbled to have the opportunity to cross promote with Sword & Sorcery!

The folks over at Ares Games have been slamming out successful Kickstarters since 2013. However, they were in the publishing scene before that. I used to work at game stores toiling away long and fun hours pushing their product and teaching families how to play their games.

Now, with Gremlin Project playing in their field, we’ve been graced with the wonderful world of  Sword & Sorcery.

I personally can't get enough Dungeon Crawls in my life. So that makes me one of those Kickstarter suckers that buys everything on day 1 from any Dungeon Crawl that shows the kind of love and passion I see from Gremlin Project.

For those who don’t know, Sword & Sorcery has been acclaimed by many players as one of the very best Dungeon Crawlers out there (dastardly competition!). It's a fully cooperative fantasy board game with beautiful miniatures and rich components. Sword & Sorcery was a hit both on Kickstarter and in stores. After the success of the first season of Sword & Sorcery (now available at retail), Gremlin Project and Ares have been hard at work on a new cycle of product, Ancient Chronicles. 

Ancient Chronicles was on Kickstarter at the end of 2018, but if you missed it, late pledges are still open here!

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

Don’t hesitate to go check out more by Ares Games or take a look at Gremlin Project's passionate worlds.

They climbed.

Nyx could sense the magic of the ritual now, in the same instinctive way she had always been able to sense when one of her students was performing a summoning. How long will this last? Nyx no longer bounced and flew from step to step, but dragged herself along at the back, with Christopher and his rescued hostage leading. She remained quiet, except to answer which fork to take or what set of steps would lead further up. 

There were no more mazes now, just further up. Here the tower was more a ruin than the temple of a cult, with ancient stone walls and metal implements and sculptures rusted beyond recognition. I hope I have the energy left to fight when we get to the top. If I still want to.

Nyx leaned on her heavy staff for a second, before realizing that someone was following her. Not an army of cultists angry at Tomoe’s rescue, but the familiar dark purple wolf, her single spectral eye unblinking in the gloom. She looked away, tensing in preparation for the scolding she expected.

“You seem pained. Was the price demanded worth the reward you received?” Lymn didn’t sound judgmental, or even disapproving. Only curious.

Nyx felt her face grow hot at the thought of unseen eyes watching the rite. She glanced forward at the others, then slowed, where she could whisper in relative privacy. “The worst part isn’t anything we saw—just knowing what I could’ve had. Leaving this place is going to be… hard.”

Lymn remained silent for a long time, as they struggled up a set of precarious metal steps. These wrapped up and down the wall in a strange spiral, bending slightly with each step. The wolf calmly plodded along behind her, not physical enough to trip like Nyx almost did. “Perhaps. But remember that what you saw was only one trail up the mountain of happiness. There are others, paths less precarious and destinations more enduring. The illusion will fade. Your feelings will pass as time dulls their potency.”

What if I don’t want it to. Nyx knew if she’d come just for herself, she would’ve never left the tower. She could see why so many had decided to stay, even surrounded by things that had once seemed horrifying to her. Have I been fighting for the wrong side all along? Her memories of the rites were impossible to reconcile with the realities of what happened. 

Her memory turned foggy, and time seemed to stop. It felt like months passed in that room, though maybe it was only seconds. Nyx would never know. All she knew for certain was that it contained far more than a pool and a high priestess.

I’ll never feel like that again.

Lymn was suddenly in front of her, her blind eyes wrapped in cloth and her massive jaws spread. “Remember what the servants of the Dark Mother have done. Silvia murdered her parents, and her ritual will kill another innocent child. Does any pleasure wash away their blood?”

Her world came back into focus. Nyx shook her head, banishing the memories. She could still see the recent human arrivals, barely alive from an angelic attack. This order had done that. It had tried to murder her only the night before.

From Lymn’s other side, she caught Ai looking back at her, concerned. She wore the same haunted look—Ai Chen had seen everything. She knew exactly how Nyx felt right now. Ai had traveled with her to that timeless eternity, where every action had meaning and desire itself was sacred. Her memory of that place seemed far more real than any tower could be.

Lymn might promise healing, but Nyx didn’t believe her for a second. How could the memory of something so perfect ever fade? The Dark Mother was real, and she was wonderful. Maybe the world would be better with her ruling it?

Humans were hunted on Middara, dwelling in a world that sometimes didn’t seem to want them. Every new cave brought another creature bent on killing them in some creative way. Maybe instead of fighting, Nyx should join the revel. 

She could still hear the music.

“Listen.” Lymn’s voice, stern and commanding. So jarring that Nyx was startled from her reverie. “You see Her memories. But think of your own. You must care for the newcomers to your world, or else why would you dedicate your life to teaching them? Remember the one who is dying. The one you saw is torturing her. She will do far worse than kill her, if you do not stop it.”

Nyx hesitated another moment, and the world seemed to come back into focus. She couldn’t share the hatred she heard from Lymn, she could never hate something as wonderful as what she had experienced. But she could still fight.

I can work out the details later. I don’t have to hate the Mother to stop her from killing Enoch. 

One glance to the side told her all she needed to know about Ai. She stopped her, meeting her eyes for a moment. She couldn’t lie and say it would all be okay, Nyx knew better than that. They could never go back. “We’re here to stop the witches,” she said. “If anything, we’re helping by getting rid of Silvia. The Mother wouldn’t want people killing their parents and torturing children. We have to stop her, and let the memory fade.”

Ai looked away, focusing on the stairs beneath her with each step. “We can stop Silvia. Save your kid.”

Christopher and Tomoe were waiting for them at the top of the stairs. 

“Is that what the dog told you?” Tomoe asked.

Ai laughed, patting her Warp Hound on the head. “You mean Pocky? He doesn’t really ‘talk’.

Pocky barked enthusiastically, just once.

“No.” Tomoe pointed behind her, behind Nyx, directly at where Lymn was standing. She seemed to be staring right at her, where her eyes should be if they weren’t bandaged and covered.

“You can see her?”

The strange girl nodded. “Dreamwalkers are wise, but not infallible. Don’t obey without understanding them.”

Then she turned away, following Christopher to the door.

“Our desires coincide,” Lymn said, once the stranger didn’t seem to be listening. “Unity in all desires is not required. You want to prevent a dangerous creature from manifesting in your world—so do I.”

Nyx turned to look at her, but she had already faded. 

“You sure you haven’t lost your minds?” Christopher asked. “You’re talking to the wall. Is that a thing witches do?”

No one dignified his question with a response.

Ai stopped Christopher at the door, resting one hand on his. “They’re inside,” she whispered. “This is it.”

“How do you know?” he asked. “I don’t hear any evil rituals coming through here.

“What does an evil ritual sound like?” Ai asked. “What if it’s just, like, an ethically dubious ritual?”

Nyx couldn’t hear anything either, only the sound of terrible wind blowing outside. A single window on the far side of the room filled the space with crimson sunset light.

But once she closed her eyes, Nyx could feel it too. Silent music, a constant beat that never stopped, but far louder through this door. “All three of them are in there,” Nyx said. “Like… different instruments. Part of the spell.” Whether they want to be or not.

Christopher took one last look at his sister’s picture before snapping the locket closed. Then he drew his sword in both hands. “If Silvia murdered her own parents, I’ll have her head. Time to be heroes.”

Nyx nodded her reluctant agreement. Together, they shoved the double doors open, passing through into the chamber beyond.

The space was vast, with thick carpets and fine plush furniture. They’d finally reached the end of the stairs—the ceiling above was vaulted and echoing, with one window facing each of the four directions. Each was made of thick glass, with bars on the outside to stop any potential escape.

Nyx took in the other tactical details of the space as quickly as she could, searching for dangers. The room was broken by a velvet curtain, hiding most of the space. Comfortable furniture, a large bookshelf of oversized books. 

The table beside it had a wide scroll open on a stand, with intricately carved wooden rods holding it open. Nyx’s eyes went instantly to the incense burning in a tiny metal bowl beside it, and the vial of something dark red set just before the scroll.

A young woman sat in the center of the sofa, watching them with a cheerful smile on her face. The table before her was a little taller than normal, with a bright red tablecloth and a single teacup resting incongruously in front of the girl.

Nyx had never known this sister, but she could at least recognize her from the painting. “You’re Silvia Ortiz,” Nyx said, feigning politeness. She kept her movements slow, not wanting to provoke hostile magic before they even got through the door. She was so unafraid that she didn’t even stand as they entered. 

Silvia ignored her, watching Christopher as he approached. There was recognition there, maybe even friendship. Or what was left of it. “I wondered if you would find your way here eventually. Father’s side of the family was always so… tenacious.”

Christopher’s discipline evaporated, and his face went red with rage. He stalked up to the sofa, his sword ready in both hands. Please don’t attack her yet we have no idea what’s going on please don’t…

He didn’t attack. Instead he screamed, “Is that an admission, witch? Your father provided you with the best Middara could offer. Your mother was a woman of honor and gentleness. I want to hear from your lips, Silvia. Are you a kinslayer? God may hate witches, but there’s a special place in hell waiting for traitors.”

While he yelled, Ai and Pocky inspected the curtain, nudging it nervously. Nothing happened to them, though it seemed like something large might’ve moved on the other side.

Even Silvia reacted calmly to the screaming, reaching forward to the table in front of her and sipping her tea. She didn’t even look at the sword. “Kill my own parents? What happened between us was… unfortunate. But I didn’t kill them. I saved them. Would you like to see? They’re here right now, very close.”

“Yes,” he said. His sword dropped an inch or so, though he didn’t lower his voice. “Very much. The further up this tower I climbed, the more certain I was of your guilt. Please show me I’m wrong. We can leave this unhallowed place, burn this tower. Together.”

Silvia set down her cup, lifting a little silver bell from the table and ringing it three times. “Mommy, Daddy! We have visitors. Bring the tea.”

Something shuffled behind the curtain, something meaty and heavy. Nyx smelled it before she saw it—a heady mix of formaldehyde and unburied dead. She backed away from the curtain as something heavy shoved through it. She leaned on her staff, overwhelmed by what she saw.

It had been human once—two humans, actually. A pulpy mass of pale flesh shambled into the room, making a sound from two sets of lips that might’ve been a grunt, or might’ve been a scream of agony. It had four legs, four arms, two heads. The thing was unevenly decayed—its heads were yellowed slightly from the preservative. Silvia had not been so attentive with the rest of it. 

Bile rose in her throat, and Nyx turned away, covering her mouth with her arm.

Christopher backed away, crossing himself and muttering something in Spanish. “Saints protect us…” he finally stammered, no longer swinging the sword. He backed away from the creature, his eyes more pity than disgust. Maybe he could see something familiar in those alien features.

Silvia had dressed the corpse-thing, in shreds of white cloth. It only made the parody of life seem worse, as it shuffled between its four unsteady feet. “I saved them,” she said, somehow not disgusted by the monstrosity in front of her. “They would’ve died, but now they can be with us forever.”

“How can you have done this?” Ai asked, gagging with disgust at what she saw. “You went through the same Rites—you must have, if you’re leading the coven here. How is this beautiful?” She gestured at the undead-monster. “This isn’t what we saw.”

“Beauty is subjective,” Silvia said. “You think we all see it the same way? The Dark Mother teaches that our desires are our own. Weren’t you paying attention?”

But whatever anger Nyx had for these innocents, there were two others who she’d known whose fate gnawed at her. Had Silvia murdered her sisters like her parents? What about Salma and Sandra?” Nyx asked, gripping her staff so tightly that the wood started to creak. Already her mind raced, searching her memory of Arkalla’s darkest pits for some horror appropriate to the evil Silvia had committed. “Did you murder them too?”

“I only have one sister now. Salma?” She tapped her foot, suddenly impatient. 

Something else emerged from the far side of the room. Nyx was ready this time, angry enough that fear and discomfort were fading. Maybe Christopher had been right after all: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

Salma was still alive, at least. Beneath her thin robes, her body was covered with horrifying scars, tracing zigzag patterns up and down her skin. One hand had been replaced with a monstrous claw, tearing up the carpet as she dragged it forward. When she smiled, it was with a row of needle teeth, like some horror of the deep ocean. Her face was carved and torn wider than it should be, but more teeth had grown to fill the void. 

“Professor Nyx!” she said, her strange teeth giving her voice an unnatural lisp. But beneath all that, she was still the same Salma that she remembered. “You’re here! It’s been years!”

Nyx backed away, retreating out of reach. Maybe she should’ve been ashamed of her disgust. “What did she… do to you?”

“No one did anything to me,” Salma said. She twisted and bent, her skin briefly tearing along the hideous scars. Somewhere underneath was a mass of swollen red flesh, not unlike Katya. But then the moment passed, and Salma looked like herself again. Charming, innocent, and human. “Silvia said it already. Our Mother doesn’t ask us to be what we aren’t. She wants us to be free to experience beauty and joy as we find it. Lust, vanity, greed… you saw for yourself. The Dark Mother accepts you regardless.” The illusion broke, and she melted back into the monstrous thing with claws and pointed teeth.

“We’re very thankful for your gift,” Silvia began. “It fills me with regret to lose a servant as skilled as Girtiya. First we freed her from death, and thanks to what she brought, she is free from us as well. Maybe you’ll decide to stay in her place. But what we have received in compensation… that is truly remarkable. The lockbox, its contents have proved what we have waited years to know. The Marked One has finally arrived.”

She settled her teacup back into place, smiling sickly-sweet up at Christopher. “But as I said—my sister is fine. My family is fine. You can leave this tower and tell Brahma all about it, if you wish.”

Christopher brandished his sword, inches from Silvia’s table. He swung it inches in front of her face, yet she didn’t even blink. When he spoke, he sounded drained. “What about Sandra? I’m not leaving this tower until I see that she’s okay.” 

“Don’t say her name,” Silvia whispered, her voice suddenly low and dangerous. The monstrous undead thing, content to shuffle about near the bookshelf, stirred suddenly, turning four sets of rotten eyes on Christopher. It doesn’t have any free will anymore. We’ll have to fight them.

Nyx would be ready for that when it came. She didn’t turn people into demons, but she was one of the best summoners in Elenia.

“Sandra couldn’t see the paradise we were bringing,” Silvia said. “She didn’t think it was right to help prophecy along.”

“Now she can’t see anything,” Salma squeaked, her toothy voice mixed with laughter. She yanked on the red tablecloth, pulling it away to expose the greatest horror of all.

There was nothing demonic about the look of this girl, no alien flesh and strange magic. She lay scrunched into a cage barely large enough for her, wearing only rags and covered with dirt and slime. Her face was scarred horribly, with yellowed bandages wrapped around her eyes. Her ears were covered with half-melted pitch, sealing them shut and leaving horrible burns around her bare scalp. Yet somehow the poor girl seemed to sense something had changed, because she turned her head up. Her mouth opened, but only a throaty rattle emerged. She had no tongue.

“And now you see,” Silvia said. “She refused Her help. The Mother would already be here, if it wasn’t for her. Because of her, we’re still waiting for the Marked One. Though not for much longer.”

A low growl rumbled through the room, and Nyx looked up. None of the others moved—if any of the witches saw Lymn, they were very good actors.

The wolf ignored all the horrors around them, standing beside the open scroll. “This object is the key,” she said, her voice urgent. “Their ritual is complete, but power builds. You must disrupt it.”

Nyx took one step towards the scroll, stumbling away from the cage. She didn’t have to act to seem disgusted and horrified, anyway. “Because you caused it,” Nyx supplied. “Your ritual marked a boy on Earth, changed him.”

Silvia shrugged, though Nyx was sure her eyes darted briefly to the oversized scroll. “Her return was always known. My… this one here, may’ve slowed Her. But Her arrival can’t be prevented. We’re manifesting destiny. You’ve seen the world She will bring. When you brought the lockbox to us, you proved that the Marked One has arrived in Middara at least. When we are finished here, I will be sure to pay her a visit.”

I thought I did. Nyx had seen the world that the Dark Mother Divine would bring. But it wasn't this. It was... beautiful. Her own version of happiness made manifest. But no matter how much some part of Nyx still wanted to return to what she'd seen during the Rites. “If the Dark Mother would allow this, then she was just as evil as Christopher had been saying from the beginning. “No one is manifesting anything today,” she said. “We’re taking that scroll, ending the ritual, and no one is going to be tortured in this tower ever again.”

Silvia was barely listening. Either that, or she didn’t care that all three of her visitors were now brandishing weapons. “You don’t even know what it is? This scroll is made from the torn pages of the Book of Hadrum. It isn't summoning the Mother. It only shows you your past. Or Her past. She’s been speaking to me since I was a child. Do you really think others haven’t tried to stop me before? You’re going to swing bits of metal and throw around some shitty spells, and stop the will of a god?”

Silvia jerked to her feet, kicking a staff up into her hands that had been concealed under the edge of the sofa. As she rose, something moved from just behind it—a gigantic, horrifying rat, with sharp teeth and hideous open sores covering most of its hairless body.

Something moved from the corner of the room, and Nyx watched as the rescued Tomoe began closing on the scroll. Her listless confusion was gone, replaced with resolute determination. You don’t even know what we’re doing here, and you’re willing to risk yourself to help us. I was wrong not to rescue you. Either that, or Tomoe was actually one of the Coven all along, and she was about to do something terrible with their artifact. Nyx could only hope it was the former.

“The Dark Mother gives us life,” Salma said. “We can share it with others. We could’ve shared it with you. But now we’ll share it with someone else.”

Nyx felt a sudden twisting in her gut, recognizing the Assemblage magic before Salma even finished casting. Nyx had probably taught her the spell she used. 

The carpet in front of Salma was suddenly stained red, with thick blood sprawling in a profane recreation of Solomon’s Seal. The ground cracked, and a pale hand emerged, dripping red with blood.

Salma reached down, yanking hard with her still-human hand. The creature seemed to be taking shape as she pulled, bones and tissues coming together from primordial clay and settling into the shape of a man. A man all cloaked in purple and red, with long white hair and a high collar. Nyx couldn’t see much of his face, beyond the yellow eyes that seemed to glow. She quickly looked away.

“I need you to kill,” Salma said. “These four and the dog.”

Nyx’s eyes widened in horror as she finally realized what Salma had done. This was no simple esper—it was another undead horror, worse by far than what Silvia had done to her parents. His will was unbroken even seconds after the ritual was complete. Salma had reached beyond the furthest corners of Arkalla and every other realm a sane summoner could call, down into Erebus.

There were no ‘good’ creatures in Erebus, and the only souls that dwelt there were evil in a way that scarcely had any meaning to a mortal human.

“What will you give me in return?”

“Anything you want,” she said, her insane grin splitting her face wider and wider.

“You need me to shed blood now,” the creature said. “Pay me after. I will know what I want by then.”

“Done,” Salma said.

“No more!” Christopher roared, lifting his sword high over his head. Golden light broke through the tower window, settling around him as the same set of armor he had summoned before. “Elenia is a scourge on our world for permitting this. But if I must be the one to correct it, then I will.” He glanced sidelong at Nyx, his eyes dark inside the summoned helmet.

It was time for blood.

Day 27: Dice Games, 10,000 Words, Grotesque Roots, and Sending Evil to Ashes!
almost 5 years ago – Sun, Jul 21, 2019 at 01:37:26 AM

So much dice! 

Brooklynn here! 

Those mad men over at Dice Throne are slaying it on their new Kickstarter campaign. They reached out and we picked each other's brains over spooky Kickstarter math. The lead designer was a real charm and hit me with some brain knowledge. 

We cannot wait to get our hands on the game!

While I've never played it myself, it was another Kickstarter I was going to back when I saw another campaign. So it's great to see it go live during the same timeframe as Middara. 

Choices, Choices, and more Choices! 

We've had some people hit us up and ask us if our decisions are real. They wonder how they might or might not change the story. Well, let me be clear, we have well over 10,000 words you'll never see on this campaign. Our choices are real, the unlocks planned are real, and the outcomes will in fact echo through future product.

With all that work and planning going into options, it's pretty exciting to see what our backers choose, even for us! 

Though I must admit, sometimes the figure or card I want doesn't always win... or in some cases, even get to be put on the campaign as an option. :\

 On to the Unlocks!

Grotesque Effigies are not the only sentient plants in Middara, but they are definitely one of the most dangerous. These ambulatory trees will attack anyone they encounter without provocation. They will hunt unwary or careless creatures and attempt to bind them in their roots while they sleep. It will then drag its victim into its trunk and devour them.

The roots of the grotesque effigy run deep into the earth and can sprawl over hundreds of yards. These roots can burst forth from the ground and attack, drag, or trap prey. The grotesque effigy can also use these tunneled roots to pull itself along, allowing it a surprising amount of mobility. Destroying these roots is usually the first step to killing the grotesque effigy itself. 

Occasionally, instead of eating a victim, a grotesque effigy will encase them in its bark, keeping them alive by feeding sap into their veins, slowly replacing the blood. Many of these victims do not survive the transfusion, but those who do are transformed into effigy dryads; twisted, malicious creatures with tough, woody skin and venomous fangs.

Effigy dryads seem to have a single purpose: to create new grotesque effigies. The moment it separates from its creator, a dryad will begin to seek out an appropriate tree to infect. The dryad will rip away the leaves, gnawing on branches and twigs, seeping its venom into the tree’s sap. Using its large, wide claws, the dryad will dig up the tree’s roots so that it may inject venom into the root system as well. It will continue brutalizing the tree in this manner for days, sometimes weeks, until it senses the tree has sufficiently rotted inside. Finally, the effigy dryad will burrow into the decayed wood of the tree trunk. Its consciousness is thought to pass into the tree, and it becomes a new grotesque effigy.

Naturalists are not sure if the grotesque effigy is a naturally occurring creature, or the result of some kind of magic gone awry. Regardless of their origins, however, they remain a danger to those who traverse the deep woods and swamps of Elenia.

For our Day 27 unlock, we will be adding FOUR miniatures to the KS2 Promo Box for the Roots Standees, featured in Unintentional Malum: Act 1. 

These Roots are used with the Grotesque Effigy miniatures already included in Act 1. 

To be clear, these 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 standee. 

Devoted to Ame-no-Uzume, goddess of Dawn, Tomoe is struggling to find out what's hidden by the mist of her past, even if knowing what made her what she is might be too painful. After all, there must be a reason if some memories disappear...

(Check out the cards: Adventurer Card | Item Card | Discipline Card)

As a Day 27 unlock we're excited to announce our cross promotion with Axis Mundi and their wandering miko, Tomoe! 

While we love working with veterans in the industry, we also love working with those who are as new to it as us. More importantly, we love finding those niche indie games that we can't wait to see come to the market. The ladies and gentleman over at Axis Mundie Games put out the entrancing So Long, My World Kickstarter campaign last year. Since then they've been working hard to get the game into backers hands. 

In fact, I think they're shipping now with many of their backers already having their pledges! 

With late pledges still open, we made sure to grab ourselves a copy of this unique and strange looking game. 

However, Tomoe is a character from their upcoming cooperative JRPG style miniatures game called Sankokushin: Five Sacrifices. We genuinely loved the look of the game and couldn't help but ask to put Tomoe in our game. Plus, the lore behind the character was a perfect fit in Middara as she travels dimensions via vivid dreams in search of her purpose and forgotten past. 

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 Tomoe kit comes with a beautiful resin miniature (that will require assembly), an Initiative Card, a Discipline Card, an Equipment Card, and an Adventurer Card. 

This kit comes in all "With Swag" Pledge levels and can be added as an individual add-on for $20. 

Don't hesitate to go check out Axis Mundi Games at their website and facebook.

“—through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.” Christopher finished with the sign of the cross. Only then did he finally release the rosary, letting it settle against his chest. He listened for a second, as though the witch Circe would catch fire at his prayer and be burned to ash by the time he returned.

But he heard no screaming, no sound at all through the round metal doors. Christopher stood on the other side of that final door, the one that led to the blasphemous font. “What do you think, Pocky? Is the witch burning yet?”

The dog was sprawled on the ground not far away, though not actually within reach. Uplifted animals were always smart, but Christopher was sure this one was smart enough to resent him. You’re the one who offered your life, dog. I was supporting your decision. For his part, the dog only grinned open-mouthed up at him. And you think this is funny.

He rose, shoving up against the door one last time. But it didn’t budge, didn’t even flex in its frame. He doubted he would have much better results even if he went at it with a crowbar. “I’m done sitting around. You want to save that girl with me, Pocky? I’m going back.”

The dog rose instantly to his paws, watching as Christopher walked away through the hall of strange mirrors. It didn’t take long—just a few more steps—before Pocky hurried to catch up. At least if I get myself killed doing this, you can warn the others.

Retracing his steps wasn’t easy, even though he’d been watching the route up carefully. Mostly he’d been searching for open windows, balconies, anything they might be able to use to escape the Ziggurat after they reached the top and started killing witches. Unfortunately, he’d seen none. There were a few windows in public areas, but all were either too small to fit through, or reinforced so heavily that they wouldn’t serve as a way out.

In a way, the alien confusion of the Ziggurat was the only way he managed to reach his destination. Each new sculpture or display was its own unique flavor of revolting. By the time he returned to the cells, Christopher was certain he’d seen every mortal sin explored and glorified in explicit detail. I’m going to see this place in my nightmares.

The Incubus guard was still here, with the same spear resting over his shoulder. He hardly even seemed to notice Christopher as he approached, his eyes focused on the cell. 

“Please, you need to release me. I need to save them, and I can’t save anyone from in here.”

She was still in there, the girl that looked so out of place for this awful tower. Not just the tower—as Christopher looked more closely, she seemed like she didn’t belong in Elenia at all. Her dress was strange and long, inspired by no fashion he’d ever seen before. Her desperation hadn’t changed—she gripped hard on the bars, her knuckles white.

“Quiet,” the Incubi said. There was none of the respect the slaves showed to their witch masters. Was that enough to know that this wasn’t all a trap? It could still be bait. She’s disguised, waiting for evidence that we’re breaking the rules. 

But it didn’t matter to Christopher anymore. There was doing the smart thing, and doing the right thing, and just now they were opposed. “Hey.” He kept his voice low, his weapon undrawn. He stopped just out of reach of the spear, far enough that he should be able to react if the guard attacked him.

But the Incubus only turned. He straightened, striking a comically perfect pose. And under all that perfection is a soul already ensnared in Hell. “Honored guest,” he said, glancing past Christopher. But whatever he was looking for, he didn’t find, and he soon relaxed. “I’m afraid I cannot assist you right now. I’ve been given trust of this prisoner. But I’m sure there are others who can fulfill your desires.”

As though I could be tempted by demons. He kept his tone flat, nodding at the cage. “I see you’re wearing a key. If you help me free her, we can take escape from this place too. We have a ship waiting, and the support of the Jeong family.”

The Incubus’s face froze—then split into mad laughter. He nearly dropped his spear, his laughs the only sound in the empty prison. Finally, he stopped. “I’m not a slave, honored guest. No one is a prisoner in this tower. We came here willingly, from every corner of Middara. The Dark Mother promised to accept our offering and grant us a place. She keeps her promises.”

Christopher looked past him, through the bars. The girl inside, Tomoe she’d called herself, did not seem like she was a willing guest. He nodded slightly to her, then turned away, his gesture suddenly exaggerated. “Of course. Forgive me—I am a stranger, to all Elenia even. Understanding your ways hasn’t come easy.”

The demon relaxed. Maybe satisfied that there would be no violence after all.

Christopher yanked the rosary from around his neck. “I wonder… would the Mother accept my offering?” He held up the necklace, letting the light catch in its gemstones. “Perhaps you could give it to her on my behalf.”

“Of course.” He let go of the spear with one hand, catching it in the crook of his other arm while he extended a hand. “We’re always grateful for offerings. It would be my honor to deliver yours.”

Christopher tossed the necklace gently, curving it between them in a wide arc. 

The Incubus caught it in both hands, eyes wide with greed. But his eyes kept getting wider, his mouth opening in a scream of pain.

Christopher shoved his arm hard against the demon’s chin, silencing his scream. The demon writhed and contorted, his hands turning white around the necklace. If only he’d been holding it a little looser, maybe he could’ve let go. He didn’t, though. “A heart like yours could never hold something so sacred.”

The Incubus kicked and struggled, his eyes burning. “The mother will… protect me… from your enchantment! Your act… is...” After a few seconds the body crumbled away, bits of chalky ash piling up at his feet. 

Christoper wouldn’t learn just what his act was. And if the Mother had protected him, it wasn’t in a way Christopher could see. 

He reached down into the debris, lifting out the iron keyring from among the demon’s clothes. He strode forward, trying to ignore Pocky’s pointed glares.

“If he wasn’t evil, he wouldn’t have died,” he muttered to the dog. Pocky only vanished, reappearing beside the corpse, and pawing at the ash.

Christopher turned away, testing a few keys in the lock before finally finding one that would turn. He twisted the door open, then yanked backward, wincing as the metal creaked loudly. 

There was the strangely-dressed girl, watching with horror. Her fear only grew as he tossed the necklace to her, just as he’d done for the demon. She had no space to move out of the way, and reflexively raised her hands to cover her face. She caught the rosary there, hanging between her fingers, squeaking with surprise and fear.

Nothing happened. Finally, she opened her eyes, staring down at it in shock. “I’m still here? But your weapon… how does it work, if I’m not dead?”

“It detects evil,” he answered. “Do you want a rescue or not?” He stepped back, out of the way.

The stranger ran her fingers over the beads, then held it out to him. “I don’t think evil is as simple as that...”

His mouth hung open. He might’ve kept staring, but Pocky nudged his leg, nodding towards the dead demon. The message was clear even if he didn’t speak it. We can’t stay here. They’ll find this body. Or what’s left of it, anyway. 

“I don’t know how simple or complex evil is,” Christopher said. “But my enchantment says it isn’t you.” He extended one hand for the rosary. 

She seemed eager to be rid of it, because she practically threw it at him, wiping her hand on the back of one sleeve.

Christopher took the necklace, replacing it on his neck. The gemstones felt slightly warm to the touch, but otherwise nothing had changed. 

He let Tomoe pass him, then used his boots to shove what was left of the demon into the cage. 

No one coming, but no telling how long we have until the guard changes. “This way.” He gestured back to the top of the tower. “My friends are up there. Our best chance of getting out of his tower is together.”

Tomoe followed, one hand playing with a bead. “I’m not… sure I should leave the tower. Haven’t… finished what I came for yet.”

“Neither have I,” he said, glancing back one last time as they rounded the stairs. But no one came. We still have a little time. “So that’s perfect.”

She didn’t argue with him, not all the way back to the round metal doors and the sanctum beyond.

Nyx and Ai Chen were waiting outside the outer door, on the other side of the mirror hallway. Christopher tensed, expecting to see some demonic change like the witch Katya. But he couldn’t see anything different, only wonder if they’d be able to touch his rosary now. He glanced past the door for any sign of the high priestess, but he couldn’t see her anywhere.

Nyx rose as they emerged from the stairs, glaring over his shoulder. She gestured angrily at Tomoe as she spoke, eyes dark. “Please don’t tell me the Ziggurat and every witch inside it is about to come down on us.”

Pocky darted past him, settling beside Ai and nuzzling her. She barely even responded, reaching sideways to pat the dog. Her eyes were distant, though not glazed over with strange magic. She was contemplative instead.

“No,” he answered. “Not for a while. No one saw me do it.” No one still alive. “Where’s the witch?”

“Gone,” Ai whispered. “Finished with us.” Christopher waited for her to say more, but she only looked back down.

Nyx didn’t wait. “They’ll still realize she’s gone. Who else could’ve rescued her?” Nyx folded her arms, tail whipping the air behind her in her frustration. 

“Well now I know you’re still you,” he said, smiling faintly. “You’re right to be upset, it was stupid. But it was right. Tomoe, this is Nyx and Ai. Girls, Tomoe. Now we’re introduced—are we still going through with this? Can you still… fight?”

Ai Chen finally looked up, her eyes focusing on him for the first time. “Are you satisfied, Amaya? Does solving one more murder, one more kidnapping—why should it matter?”

He shook his head in response, dropping down to one knee beside her. “Ai, what happened to you?”

She shared a look with Nyx, then looked away uncomfortably. The silence might’ve gone on indefinitely if it wasn’t for Tomoe.

“I’m here to save someone,” she declared. “It might be one of you. It might be someone else—I can’t remember. Are you going to take me there?”

Nyx cleared her throat. “We can get to the ritual now. We don’t need to wander around anymore.”

“Until they see Tomoe and attack her?” he asked, voice even. “I shouldn’t take her into danger.”

“Then you shouldn’t have—” Nyx stopped, taking a deep breath, turning away. “They won’t attack her if she’s with us. Come on, we don’t have much time. They’re almost done.”

Day 26: Dark Rituals, Baby!
almost 5 years ago – Sat, Jul 20, 2019 at 01:37:36 AM

Short and sweet today! 

Dark Rituals ahoy! The community has chosen, Ai Chen and Nyx get to perform the Rites of the Dark Divine and be cleansed by the Dark Mother and face their own emotions. 

For our Day 26 unlock, we will be adding the community chosen Rites of the Dark Divine to the KS2 Promo Box. 

To be clear, this mini-American sized card 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. 

This card can be used with Act 1 and requires no other product. 

I wonder what the other Daily Unlock would have been if you had chosen to fight? 

Day 25: Sweet Community Pictures, Desperate Bargains, and a Profane Ritual!
almost 5 years ago – Fri, Jul 19, 2019 at 01:37:11 AM

Hey backers!

Today we wanted to showcase our incredible community that we've been able to cultivate over these past 4 years. It really is hard to explain the feeling that we get when we see other people genuinely enjoying something that we've created. 

Our Facebook group is an active community of backers who are playing through the game, asking each other questions, and showing off their miniature painting skills.

Here is just a glimpse of what you'll find there.

We've also got an Instagram page where will we showcase our backers' hard work and post artwork and such! 

Feel free to give us a follow if this interests you!

...To the unlock!

The Subjugated Oblation

Dear Scarlett,

Oh god… where do I begin? I hope you aren’t mad at me. In fact, I hope you never find out what happened to me at all. But if you’re reading this, please forgive me. I’m wracked with guilt. I couldn’t enjoy my new life here on Middara knowing that I could’ve done something to save Oliver.

They don’t have the same diseases here on Middara, and the advancement can save him. Oliver doesn’t have to suffer. I just had to find a way to bring him here, to get him out of that damn hospital he’s been stuck in. It’s dangerous though, not just for me, but for both of you, too. If you were here though, I know what you would do. I know what you would say.

You wouldn’t be afraid. You were never afraid.

The Black Hand has told me that there’s a way. They’ve also told me over and over again about the consequences. They say that I’ll lose myself, that the creature they’re going to put inside of me will absorb my psyche until we are one. I don't know how it all works, or what it even really means, but a man within the organization has promised to bring you and Oliver to Middara if I… volunteer myself.

I’m going to do it. I should’ve done it a year ago when I was first approached with the offer, but I was too afraid. Now I pray every night that I didn’t wait too long, that Oliver isn’t already… god, I can’t even write it.

Please, Scarlett, he’s everything to me. I know we’ve had our differences in the past, but you’re like a sister to me. I hope saving Oliver from his illness and saving you from that hell hole of a home will make up for leaving you, for leaving both of you.

They're waiting for me now. I fear my sacrifice will go unnoticed, and it scares me. I’m such a coward. I guess that’s why I’m even writing this. Deep down, I hope someone reads it and thinks that I did the right thing. I hope that you think that I did the right thing.

We're getting down to the wire! And many of you have figured out what unlocks are next through deductive reasoning!

For our Day 25 unlock, we will be adding another figure to the KS2 Promo Box for the Melody 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. 

 Check out the cards! Adventurer Card | Adornments of the Dark Divine | | Hedonist's Potion Bag

Ludus Magnus Studio has our back! These creative fellows have bounced ideas off of us for a couple months now and we've appreciated their dedication to games in a similar vein as us. The grimdark look of Black Rose Wars and the cartoony style of Dungeonology: The Expedition captured us immediately! We found many of our own friends had already backed their games so we had to ourselves! 

For these reasons we decided to work together on a cross promotion and provide the seductive and mysterious Circe as a miniature in Middara. Again, with our Witch theme in the story it only made sense.

With over 6 Kickstarters under their belts, we always look up to those with experience in this industry as a guiding light for ourselves as we navigate this strange and ever-evolving industry.

Both Black Rose Wars and Dungeonology are still currently available for late pledges. So don't miss out on more miniature tactic madness!   

The High Priestess Circe kit comes with a beautiful Resin miniature (that will require assembly), an Initiative Card, two Item cards, and an Adventurer Card and an Intelligent Combatant Card. 

This kit comes in all "With Swag" Pledge levels and can be added as an individual add-on for $20. 

Don't hesitate to go check out their website, facebook, Instagram.

Giving over the lockbox was probably a mistake, and Nyx knew it. But letting Ai’s dog volunteer to die like that—it broke her heart.

Nyx looked back, searching for the outline of the blind wolf. Lymn was still there, watching with that ethereal eye. Was she upset that Nyx had disobeyed her, or was that approval on her face? She didn't give Nyx a chance to ask, as her illusion dissolved. Nyx sighed, then lifted the lockbox by its worn metal handle.

“Girtiya!” NYx yelled, her voice echoing off the ruined ceiling. She twisted the box around, letting the witch see what she had. “Release the dog, and it’s yours.”

Girtiya's eyes snapped suddenly towards the box, barely even seeing the dog anymore. For a moment she made no sound. Nyx ignored Christopher’s swearing, ignored Ai’s pleading. She just walked closer with the box held carefully out in front of her. 

“The mark…” Girtiya muttered, awed. But she didn’t let go of Pocky, and her chains didn’t release the others. Only Nyx was free to approach. “Where did you find it?”

“In the Room of a new arrival,” she said flatly. “They’re marked too, same symbol. We couldn’t get rid of it with the best healing magic in Elenia.”

Girtiya extended her other hand, the same one she’d used to summon the chains. “Mine.”

“You can’t do it!” Christopher yelled, dropping impotently to the ground. His sword must have been enchanted itself to survive the battering he’d just given it, but the chains were stronger. “You don’t know what she’ll do. Whatever’s in there… might be what they need to call their demon!”

“It isn’t,” Nyx whispered, though she knew Girtiya would overhear anyway. “That ritual already started. We’re not ending the world by giving this up.” We don’t have a clue what we’re giving up. We can’t even open the damn thing.

“What she’ll do?” Girtiya repeated, her voice mocking. “Show it to the ones who brought me back. Buy my freedom! Pay the debt. That’s what I will do.”

“But we get safe passage?” Nyx prompted. “You swore you’d let us go. Including the Warp Hound.”

“Oh yes! Even the dog.” She leaned forward, her voice becoming desperate. “Free to enter as honored guests. So long as you don’t interfere with the sacred rites, you’ll be safe. Heroes, even. Welcomed into our most sacred places. Even that…” She trailed off, glaring sidelong at Christopher. “Man.”

Nyx gave her the lockbox. Girtiya quickly released her dagger, tossing it aside and cradling the box up against her chest like a lover. She retreated, humming something to it. A spell, maybe? The chains around them dissolved, and Nyx was there to catch Christopher by the shoulder, whispering dangerously into his ear. “Don’t even think about it.”

He shoved her away, rising to his feet again and slamming his sword contemptuously into its sheath. “I know it isn’t strange for you, Elenian. But civilized people don’t make deals with demons.” He turned, glaring after the witch. She hadn’t gone far, just far enough that Nyx couldn’t see whatever she was doing with the chest. A combination maybe, one she didn’t want them to find out. It seemed to be responding to her, glowing brighter and brighter by the second.

Ai made her way over, holding a little patch of cloth to her neck. She seemed mostly intact otherwise, just a little bruised. She had her other hand on Pocky for support, and her voice still shook. “It’s good to have principles, Christopher. But my partner doesn’t have to die because of your morality.”

She reached Nyx a second later and embraced her without hesitation. “You did the right thing,” she whispered. “I knew there were some good Elenians.”

I should let that be a compliment. Nyx stiffened a little but sighed and returned the hug. “Anytime,” she said, smiling down at the dog. 

Christopher didn’t keep arguing. He still looked sour when they broke apart, one hand still on the pommel of his sword. “You made a promise, witch. Don’t forget the other half.”

Girtiya stared into the lockbox, utterly transfixed by what she saw there. Nyx could see light reflected in those eyes, the same shade as the glowing marks. Whatever was in there had the magical afterglow to feel from a dozen meters away. 

As soon as she’d opened it, Girtiya snapped it shut again. The box lifted into the air, following her across the room as she’d moved so many other things so far. “Eager, eager! Eager to enter the Ziggurat. Be eager to join our revel, not so easy to die. The Mother will not forgive violence against us inside her sacred place, and neither will her daughters.”

Did she even care about her servants? Nyx was certain several of them still stirred, despite their wounds. But Girtiya didn’t even look back. She floated purposefully past them, gesturing at the ruined structure as she’d done several times before. Chunks of broken white stone lifted from where they’d fallen, tearing up weeds and dirt. There weren’t nearly enough to actually be connected, but that didn’t seem to matter. As soon as the last chunk settled into place, the space inside the gate changed. It no longer led to desolate jungle.

Through the gateway was a vast marble space, with a spectacular statue of colored glass in the center. “I told you the rules,” Girtiya said, taking the box again and holding it tightly in both arms. “You have leave of the gatekeeper. All within will allow you to pass. If you violate that respect…”

“We get it,” Ai said, finally taking her hand away from her injured neck. “We’ll die horribly. That’s the threat, right?”

“Not a threat,” Girtiya said. “You stand in the presence of a goddess. The Dark Mother Divine has changed us, the way she will change all when she finally arrives to reign. But most who choose to enter never wish to leave. Listen, hear her voice. Forget whatever fears brought you and find endless joy.”

Christopher laughed, but at least he didn’t promise to murder everyone they found. Nyx would take what she could get.

Together, the four of them passed through the archway and into the Ziggurat.

Nyx couldn’t say how a doorway in the middle of the jungle could connect to a tower some distance away. For all she knew, the structure on the island with them was an empty shell, and the real Ziggurat could be a hundred miles further out to sea.

They walked across a floor of black marble, polished so clean that Pocky’s paws slipped and skidded under him at first. He grumbled unhappily, then vanished.

They walked together towards the center of the massive vaulted space, where a sculpture of white marble stood on a golden plinth, at least twenty feet tall. It depicted a nude female figure, with seven arms outstretched. Each hand clasped something different, as though offering the objects to any supplicant who approached. A long-stemmed rose, a sweet roll, a set of handcuffs. It seemed as though the sculptor had carved everything from a single block, capturing the delicate detail of each petal. It might have been beautiful in its own strange way, if her eyes weren’t so large, and her teeth pointed like a shark’s.

Couches and cushions of soft pink fabric surrounded the statue. Many were occupied—all by young witches, wearing little more than their goddess. They were surrounded with servants in simple white frocks, wingless men with serving trays or massage oil or more carnal things. Smoke of a dozen different kinds filled the air, along with sensual music from three musicians performing near the wall.

The Red Aces perform for a cult? For a moment she stopped walking completely, staring in utter stupefaction at a band she’d seen half a dozen times in Elenia. Yet here they were, as though they weren’t surrounded by murderous witches in a weird sex-cult.

“I know, it’s disgusting.” Christopher nudged her forward, pointing past the statute to a wide stairwell leading up. “We need to get past them, come on. Pocky’s waiting for us there, I assume he figured out the way.”

“You should relax, Christopher,” Ai whispered. With the discordant bass shaking their feet and the crowd already distracted, she didn’t seem too worried. “Maybe so many people are strange. Unsafe, sure. But for a hedonistic demon cult, this is pretty vanilla. It could be worse.”

“I think these are just their initiates,” he said, sounding unconvinced. “They don’t feel as rotten to me. Probably here for the ritual Nyx said they started.” Then he turned, meeting her eyes. “You never said how you know about that.”

Nyx glanced behind her, to where they’d entered through the portal. But Lymn wasn’t still standing there—there wasn’t even a gate to look through anymore, just a massive steel door, shut. “I said it before, even powerful demons have enemies.” A week ago, Nyx might’ve suggested that all of them were equally amoral, helping humans only when their goals happened to align. But Lymn made her less confident in that conclusion. “Sometimes they’re willing to help.”

“Oh.” His face hardened, and he turned back to the stairs. “One of your espers then.”

Nyx didn’t correct him. If Lymn hadn’t shown herself to the others, then it wasn’t for Nyx to share anything about her, unless she had to.

At least Girtiya had been right about their safety—not one of the initiates rose to attack them or ordered their army of slaves to do the same. Instead, their group reached the stairs, and hurried away as quickly as they could.

“Pocky still has those memories,” Ai said. “You know where you’re going, don’t you boy?”

The dog nodded—the gesture was so distinct, even Christopher saw. And you wanted to trade him for a box. Not a chance.

The next floor of the tower was far smaller than the first. At least the central passage was lined with intricate paintings. If the downstairs gallery was shocking, some of what proudly hung here didn’t even seem possible. 

“So how do you explain this?” Christopher asked, gesturing at a gigantic mural ringing the center of the chamber. As Pocky led them around it, its images only grew more shocking, more lifelike.”

“I, uh…” Nyx raised an eyebrow. “They worship the Dark Mother Divine. What else would they do?”

“No, no.” He looked like he was about to start hacking lewd tapestries apart, then sighed and just slammed the sword awkwardly back into its sheath. “Doesn’t it seem important that every demon and evil spirit is interested in moral corruption? To me it’s obvious—God’s enemies want to steal His children from Him, send their souls to Hell. But how do you explain it? If not demons, then…”

“Not all of them, Christopher,” Ai interrupted. “There are stranger beings. I think it’s more that the monsters who care about…” She gestured at a nearby sculpture. Even in their art, the Incubi were depicted as nothing but worshipful slaves. “She leaves survivors. She attracts worshipers. The weird stuff, the alien stuff, they just kill you.”

He waved a dismissive hand. “Different roads leading to the same Hell.” But then he trailed off, as someone rounded the pillar going the other way.

A single witch wandered through the hall—dressed this time, unlike the supplicants below. She wore a white frock, with an opening for her light blue bat-wings. The stranger wandered between the paintings like any visitor to a gallery. She stopped as they approached, her grin exposing a pair of fangs. "Great time to visit. Come to learn with us when She arrives?”

Nyx nodded. “We’ve learned a lot so far. More than we ever thought we would. By the way, uh… are we going the right way? If we’re trying to find, like… maybe the High Priestess? You have one of those?”

“Of course.” The witch nodded, pointing after Pocky. “I’ve never seen an animal in here. Let me know if you want anyone else to join you.” She looked between the three of them. “Two floors up, if that’s why you’re here. But you won’t want to leave. I didn’t.” She walked away, without so much as giving her name.

“Of course, she didn’t,” Christopher said darkly, as soon as she was out of earshot. “Come to the tower, exchange your soul for an army of slaves who fight and die for you.”

They climbed several more floors, with more of the same. They passed through vast kitchens of strange food, with endless wells of alcohol and scarcely-clad Incubi to serve it.

The next floor was worse, with a construction of dark metal and numerous restraints scattered from one end to the other. It seemed like this might be where the Incubi were trained, or maybe disciplined, though they didn’t stay long enough to find out. “They seem desperate,” Christopher said, as soon as they’d left the floor behind. “I wish we could help them. But we don’t know how long that ritual will take. We might already be too late.”

“How much longer? Can’t keep waiting here. Must be some reason…” a female voice spoke quietly from just ahead, echoing strangely in the confined space. Nyx slowed to a stop as they passed a row of cells, each one barely tall enough to stand up in. They were all empty except this one, which showed the first sign of a female witch being mistreated in the whole tower.

She wore more clothes than several witches on the lower floors combined, an intricate dress with belts covered in metal charms.

Christopher stopped in front of the door, marching up to it and settling one hand on his sword. He leaning in. “Hey, do you need help? We could… probably do something about this cage.”

Even as he said it, several Incubi approached from an open doorway. They wore only simple wraps, but each one had weapons. Guards, then. “Hey, what was that about not having enough time to interfere? Let’s save her after we stop the ritual,” Nyx hissed.

The Spaniard ignored her, and so did the one inside.

“Do I know you?” the woman asked, her voice so strangely accented that Nyx couldn’t place it.

He froze, shaking his head once. “I do not… no, I’m sure I don’t. I would remember someone like you.”

“What about you?” she pointed out at the cage, this time at Ai. “I must know… you, perhaps? No. Not you.” She reached up, resting one frustrated hand on the side of her head. “Maybe it hasn’t happened yet?”

For an instant, Nyx almost thought she recognized her. That black hair, those strange looping braids. Had she seen those before? No, had to be her imagination. She was getting distracted.

“I’m Ai Chen,” Ai said. “And this is Pocky. Have you seen us before?”

“Maybe not…” The girl frowned, settling back onto the rough wooden bench inside her cell. “I am Tomoe. My memory is… suspect. But I think I’m here to save one of you. Unless I already did…”

They were running out of time. The Incubi stopped on one edge of the cage, raising weapons. None of them spoke, just looked as imposing as they could. Because they aren’t allowed to harm us. Until we interfere. Can we reach the ritual before this whole tower tries to kill us?

“Come on,” Nyx said, gesturing away. “We’ll come back for you if we can.” Assuming you aren’t a witch trying to tempt us into breaking our promise. 

Her companions seemed reluctant, particularly the Spaniard. Eventually Nyx just yanked on his arm, dragging him away.

“We’re saving her by stopping the ritual,” she whispered, voice dark. “Saving everyone. Now that we know the way into this place, Elenia can send an army if it must. But not if we never get out of here.”

The Ziggurat grew stranger the further up they climbed, and Nyx found herself losing confidence in her internal map. It wasn’t just a simple matter of climbing every stairwell they could find. There were dozens of different paths to take, far more space than the tower seemed to contain. At one point Nyx realized the stairwell had transitioned onto a wall without her realizing.

Then she saw what a nameless witch was doing to several initiates nearby, and she wished she hadn’t looked.

But they weren’t left free to climb the tower all the way to the ritual—eventually they came to a shut door. Markings even Nyx couldn’t read lined the round archway, with only a single glyph she recognized. The one burned onto Enoch’s chest. Alright, so maybe we’re on the right track after all.

Pocky stopped them from continuing past the door, pointing emphatically at it with a paw.

“What is it, boy?” Ai asked nervously. “We made it this far. Why are we stopping now?”

The door swung open. A figure stood blocking the path, stranger than any they’d encountered. For one terrible second, Nyx thought they were too late, that the Dark Mother herself had already arrived.

The woman was like some ancient Hindu god, summoned all the way from distant Earth. She was taller than Christopher, with six arms each protected by a different bracer. For clothing she had little, except for a ritual sash and various bits of silvery jewelry.

But where every other worshiper they’d encountered so far seemed madly focused on some carnal task or another, this one was the picture of serenity. One arm adjusted her hair briefly, another settled a bracelet into place, one held the door open. At least she hadn’t brought any slaves.

“I received word you would be coming,” she said. “The three of you have done a wonderful thing in bringing us our Mother’s gift. Considering this auspicious occasion, even your, uh…” Her eyes settled on Christopher, though only for a moment. “Even he will be remembered with honor when the Mother arrives to reign over her daughters in glory.”

For once, even the Spaniard didn’t have something to say. Instead of drawing his sword, he clutched the rosary about his neck with his spare hand, whispering a prayer.

“We’ve come to see the ritual,” Nyx declared. “We, uh… we’re entitled to, aren’t we? On account of being heroes or whatever?”

The witch nodded once. “I am Circe, high priestess. On the Mother’s behalf, I invite you to join our sacred celebration. Please, follow me.” Then she turned, letting them follow through the open door. Her dark hair lifted and trailed behind her as she walked, almost glowing in the low light from narrow windows along the floor.

They followed. Circe led them into a wide hallway lined with fragments of mirror on both sides, each one reflecting a different distorted caricature. Steam billowed about their feet, condensing on the glass and distorting the images it reflected.

They had only traveled a few steps before she realized another figure was walking along beside her. Lymn appeared only in the reflections, but she was the only image that wasn’t distorted.

“Continue to follow,” she ordered. “Do not speak to me, or she will realize I am here.” Nyx didn’t even nod, just kept following. She slowed a little, letting Ai and Pocky pass her. 

“The threads of your destiny fray and unravel,” Lymn said, her single red eye fixed on Circe’s retreating back. “Your companion is already planning to attack this being, as though she were some common witch. If he succeeds, your mission will be undone.”

I don’t need you to tell me that. Nyx glanced over her shoulder, and sure enough Christopher already had one hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword, while the other was on his necklace. Nyx glared intensely at him, shaking her head. The message was clear enough, and he didn’t draw the sword.

“Decide in this moment what matters more to you: the life of the child, or your freedom from whatever this High Priestess will demand of you. I do not believe your victory against her is likely to be achieved. Her powers cast your own beneath the eclipse. But if you do not fight, you will be forced to live with what she causes you to see.”

Nyx turned reflexively to argue—and Circe stopped dead. She turned her head gently around, her eyes snapping to the mirror. But there was suddenly nothing there.

Nyx grinned innocently. “So this ritual thing—we won’t miss it, will we? We really want to see it for ourselves.”

“That depends on you,” she answered, turning away and stopping in front of a second door. It looked the same as the first—a round metal door, surrounded by symbols and enchanted writing. Circe hummed quietly, touching a few of the symbols with each hand, and it clicked, swinging open.

A wave of steam hit them like a slow-moving wall, drifting through the doorway behind them and adding to the cloud. The floor within was made entirely of stone, surrounding a metal basin as unnerving as anything else they’d seen in the Ziggurat so far.

It was easily as large as a small swimming pool, made entirely of polished brass. Its base depicted female figures, demonic and twisted as Katya had been after Nyx blasted her in Padric’s inn. They hefted the basin on their shoulders, while their twisted faces were frozen in an eclectic combination of extreme emotions. Ecstasy, terror, joy, loathing. Every extremity of emotion seemed to be reflected here, and no two faces were the same.

Christopher staggered back from the basin, crossing his chest with one hand. “What depravity is this? Saints preserve us…”

Circe ignored him. She didn’t even look annoyed when she finally stopped beside the metal stairs. “If you wish to proceed to the peak of the tower and witness the sacred Apotheosis of the Dark Mother—then you must be cleansed first. Remove your garments, and we will begin immediately.”

“¿Eres tonto o… no. I want nothing to do with your blasphemies.” He drew his sword in one smooth motion, brandishing it. “Take my life if you must, but my soul belongs to God.”

Nyx winced, tightening her grip on her staff. But Circe didn’t begin casting some terrible spell.

She only seemed amused. “Of course not, honored guest. You are a man, and would be unable to complete the rites. You will not be required to participate. Your companions, however…”

“You can’t!” He raised his voice, no longer even looking at Circe. “You can’t sacrifice your souls!”

“Is that what we’re doing?” Nyx asked, reaching out and putting one hand on Christopher’s arm. She pushed his sword down, until he wasn’t taking such a threatening position. We’re lucky she didn’t take that seriously. “Are we going to be, uh… mind-controlled? End up transformed into one of your witches?”

The high priestess laughed. It sounded genuine, not mad cackles or insane wailing as Nyx had heard from so many others in this place. “Sisters often receive gifts of the Mother, it is true. But not here. There is no transformation waiting in that pool, only truth. You may not wish to leave when the ritual is done—but some do, and some have. The choice will still be yours.”

“Liar,” Christopher spat. He didn’t raise the sword again, though he did still seem desperate. “Ai, you can’t seriously be considering this? You’re not Elenian. You would never take the word of a witch.”

Circe’s smile vanished. She blurred, crossing the room in an instant. Suddenly she loomed over Christopher, each of her arms poised for some arcane gesture. “The honored guest will not impugn my honesty again,” she said. “The Dark Mother Divine will tolerate only so much, even from those who have done her service.”

She turned her back on Christopher then, with utter contempt for the sword inches from her back. “Our Mother shows us only the truth. That is why so many choose to come and stay with us. Civilization shows them beautiful masks. Here, they see the truth of themselves. As your companions will do.”

“Give us a moment, please,” Nyx said, then yanked Christopher and Ai back to the doorway. Not like she expected it to make a difference. Circe just smiled and watched them, patient. Steam kept drifting down the strange font, though it seemed mundane enough, with the slightly salty smell of a natural spring. On the sixth floor of an impossible tower. No big deal.

“What do you think, Ai? Should we do it?”

Ai patted Pocky briefly on the head, then looked past the font. “It seems like the fastest way. If we cooperate, we can walk right into the ritual. That gives your kid the best chance, gives us the best chance of finding the Ortiz sisters. Pocky doesn’t know where to go past this place. If we fight, we’ll be on our own to find the ritual before they finish.”

“If we fight, we’ll probably die,” Nyx said, as quietly as she could. “I can…” She couldn’t risk mentioning Lymn now, not with a creature like Circe listening. “I’m almost positive we can’t handle this fight. We barely killed the first witch they sent after us. We only bought our way out of the second one. This one is stronger than them both by miles.”

“It’s your choice,” Christopher admitted. “But I beg you, please. Don’t risk your souls for this. We can defeat this witch as we have beaten others.”

Should Nyx decide to...

Ignore Lymn's advice and refuse to perform the Rites of the Dark Divine and fight Circe. knowing full well that this would risk both Enoch's life and the lives of those she fights with. Without knowing where to go, this massive ziggurat might even bar them entry to the ritual to confront the Ortiz sisters and save Enoch. 

Or…

Heed Lymn's advice and participate in Circe's strange cleansing ritual. Keeping Enoch safe, and ensuring their continued climb to attend the ritual. Of course... Nyx and Ai Chen would suffer unknown consequences from being shown what the Dark Mother Divine had in mind for them.

 Check out the Rites of the Dark Divine! Discipline Card