Hello Monsters!

That was pretty speedy!

This game is something new and different, trying something a bit different, and the world is a little ... weird ... at the moment. I was pretty certain we'd fund, but wouldn't have guessed it would be quite this quickly!

But here we are! Kingdoms are being conquered, crowns are being seized, and ...

 So let's set up some...

As we increase the overall funding and support for the project, we’re able to add additional resources to the project, expand the rewards listed, and add in new offers and opportunities. Each Stretch Goal will have a target that, once reached, will add a project to the reward list for backers of the relevant Pledge Levels. Whenever we achieve a stretch goal, the listing will be updated to reflect the achievement.

So, a first Stretch Goal target on the horizon! Let's keep working towards that, and keep an eye out for our next Draft Manuscript section coming on Friday! It's the Storypath Ultra system for Monster Kingdoms, and will be our foundation as we explore this world and setting.

And speaking of exploring this world, it's time for our first Travelogue entry!

What joy! What hope! Commissioned have I been to pen the newest of travel journals for the Kingdom of Draoidahaek, thus furthering the growth of knowledge in this, our realm of magic. The world stretches before me, Gewinn is my future, and truly I cannot claim to be anything other than giddy with the thrill. Tis rare for a young magus such as myself to shoulder such a burden, but ho, I bear it with gladness.

Though I cannot foresee this personal introduction finding its way into a published volume (available in kingdoms beyond my own, mayhap?), it feels right and proper that this author should introduce herself before leaving the kingdom of the sky in which she’s dwelled her entire life. My name is Domina Neferkare. More important than my name is my placement in the school of ibjugation, as subject and student of the great archlich Khufu Triple-Wand, Magus of Ibjugation, Master of Spirit, Mind of Gold, Slayer of the Angel Ariok, Father of the Forty-Seven, Lord of the Dungeon of Forbidden Arts, Venturer and Explorer of the Spheres of Future Thought. It was the archlich himself who selected me for this noble task and gave me leave to assemble my own squad. It was he who commended me for claiming the Sceptre of Golden Truths, with which I can banish falsehoods with a swift strike of its wicked blade. It was he who named me “The 141st, and the most fortunate of all chroniclers of Gewinn.”

It perhaps need not be stated (yet state it I shall) that the prior 140 chroniclers never returned to Draoidahaek, though scraps of their journals have been discovered hither and yon, some acquired for the Apprentice Warrens in this very kingdom so I might learn from their successes and grave errors. Their failures do not strike terror into my heart nor give cause to doubt. No, never! They compel me as only one of my dusk can feel compelled: I am an omen, a doombringer. I feel no fear, for all endeavor is ultimately futile and all beings must eventually succumb to the void. This, my act, will serve to forge a path to the end this world so dearly requires.

With your chronicler having wasted far too much ink on self-aggrandizing (my accomplishments are nothing compared to those of the archliches, the elder magi, even those imperial scum who name themselves “emperors”), tis time to illuminate you as to my intended journey. Twill be the first time I descend the Haeks, leaving our skybound kingdom of Draoidahaek to place feet firmly on the corrupted earth of Gewinn. Once my descent is assured and I have left our magical utopia behind, floating ever closer to our dual suns Sol and Noc, I will find myself in a gloomier land of greater hardship. This will be the basin above which Sorcere floats and where earthen Draoidahaek spreads. After finding brief respite in Drenchton (at the foot of the great Cascade waterfalls), I intend to enlist a squad of monsters and venture west into the undead kingdom of Dys, avoiding provoking the wailing spirits in favor of learning what I can of their plight.

From Dys I intend to travel south to gain local knowledge of vampiric Creuore, exploring the northeastern arm of the kingdom before departing via ship from Fair Bay. I imagine that voyage should be a sorrowful one, as from Fair Bay and across the Still Sea I’ll pass by and witness beautiful Draoidahaek to the north, leaving my homeland far behind me as I sail.

My intent is that the Still Sea shall take me to the Kingdom of the Malignant Mind, though this is dependent on the ship’s destination. Mayhap twill be necessary to bend the captain to my will to ensure we approach those forbidding shores where mental dominion is prized above all other power. Then, once I have mapped and written of that southern realm of drones and klou’tharla, I hope to take the ship north to tropical Tsul Gazar, where I intend to collect samples of rare poisons and beasts, before introducing myself to the fanatics of neighboring Xin.

I’ve yet to plot my course from Xin to the Kingdom of Scales, though I am certain there must be ships or other means of transit from one to the other. What I want to avoid at this point is passing through the Nithera Empire, as while the Monster Kingdoms range from chaotic to outright destructive, the imperials are a different kind of paranoid and likely to seize this journal as contraband and my squad to sell as slaves! 

I intend to remain in the Kingdom of Scales for some time, bettering relations with my fellow dragonkin, educating them about the ways of Draoidahaek, before finding a means of reaching the fabled Kingdom of Pandemion, where violence, anarchy, and comedy apparently go hand in hand! It’s from Pandemion that I must risk the horrors of Verot (a kingdom in which I intend to spend as little time as possible) before finally entering the Nithera Empire, ideally finding opportune moments to speak to the people and explore the many dungeons, forts, and mysteries without drawing the dreadnauts’ ire. Crossing the empire will be a challenge — I understand many of the imperial canals are blocked or closely patrolled — but if fortune smiles, I’ll reach the fabled Empyrean Wall, pass it by, and witness a glimpse of the rancid Kingdom of Shards.

Should I survive this far, the remaining journey is likely to kill me. Branduur is the next logical option, though accessing it may require smuggling myself through the empire again. Then, the orc kingdom of Krr’szch, where smog and poison is liable to corrode my lungs and eyes if I spend too long within its borders. Nevertheless, I should make clear to you reader: I am not afeared of these places or their weapons! Magic is all, and I intend to seize a crown on my journey so all folk afford me due deference.

If all is well and the relationships I formed in Dys still hold, it should then be a case of passing back through the kingdom of the dead and reentering Draoidahaek to a hero’s welcome! For certain, I must come back with prizes, trophies, and tales of beings slain or subjugated, and I ought discover new tombs and unlock ancient mysteries, but all of this is within my power! I would not have been chosen were I not up to the task.

Let us tarry no longer! The road ahead awaits!

So please continue to spread the word! Share the message in your social circles and on your social media! This project is now funded, so the Monster Kingdoms book will become a fully-developed reality. New backers will be able to read along with the manuscript downloads as they come out, know that the project will happen, and help us add even more content and potential rewards for backers!

Lots more to come!