“Beware the lavish feasts and indulgent carnivals in the Sunless Crossing. For pleasures of the spirit are twice as delicious as those of the flesh... and a hundred times more treacherous.” -Simon the Righteous
Nox Valar, the City of Souls.
Festivals of the Dead is a chapter we are putting into the setting portion of The Black Ballad to help bring the world to further life. With their connection to the living world severed, all that is left is a reflection of life. A memory. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that reflecting on notable events, individuals, and traditions is a sacred practice in the land of the dead. Celebrations are not merely an excuse for merriment, but a cornerstone of reality, for if memory should ever fade--they would cease to exist.
While the Sunless Crossing is certainly epic, metal, and filled with plenty of arcane and divine dangers during the campaign: we wanted to present the setting itself as a vibrant place also filled with life, culture, and joy.
There aren't any game mechanics or special features tied to Festivals of the Dead... just a sliver of life within Nox Valar and world immersion for storytellers and players to get lost within. Our writing style is to bake bits of world flavor and slivers all throughout the book (like we will be doing with the Obituaries that we write up for those who backed "Honor Thy Fallen").
One thing that was born while writing the festivals such as The Sovereign's Departure, or The Shepherd's Feast, was the sudden inclusion of ballads or poems. Crystal Wood (who is hard at work writing the Black Ballad: Duskwalker novel) slipped these into her contribution of the Festivals... and we decided to keep them!
The Sovereign’s Departure:
T’was but a moment that I knew you
A whisper of blessed healing light
I gave my soul to something true
Now I sail into the night
I ask you not to mourn my passing
Do not shed a tear for me
My brightest joy, my greatest love
My Sunless Brethren, blessed be
We hope you enjoy them as much as we did when you read them tucked into the festivals section. I've already incorporated a few quotes from them into a villain taunt during a duel in the City of Souls.
Officially, we are entering the long haul of crowdfunding. Our sincere hope is to hit all the stretch goals we have planned and keeping up momentum is important! Share away!
If anyone here wants to get a demo packet of Chapter 1 for Storytelling purposes, join our Discord and get yourself a playtester role! We have a bunch of content in the hopper and are working up more (like the Godless and new Domains) right now before those pdfs drop.
