KickStarter SKALD: Against the Black Priory - retro RPG inspired by Ultima

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Some extra teaserung.

 

[Aemar]

Played the prologue/demo. We need more games like this one.

 

[Wulfric Pinewood]

This game will put Baldurs Gate 3 to a shame.

 

[Abu Antar]

https://www.skaldrpg.com/2021/07/patch-3-0-and-a-release-date-update/

Patch 3.0 and a Release Date Update

Patch 3.0 for the demo is now live!

This one focuses on the inventory system and adds a lot of requested features like displaying items by categories and showing equipped items by characters.

There’s also a bunch of other features as well so here is a full list:

• Pressing a quick button to open a screen (M to open Map) can also be used to close the same screen
• You can toggle between fullscreen and window from Options -> Graphical
• Game starts in fullscreen mode.
• You can now see the loot after combat before deciding to take it
• The game settings are saved from save to save
• You can now toggle the “text crawl” on/off
• You can now view and sort the inventory by category
• You can hide or show equipped items from the main inventory
• You now see the player model and all equipped items in a separate field in the inventory screens
• The inventory can be fully operated by using the keyboard
• You can now sell stacks of items with a single click
• You can now hold your action until the end of turn
• The active character now has a flashing outline in combat
• Added the “Knock Back” feat which allows characters to push opponents in combat
• You can access options from the intro menu

Bug fixes:

• Weapons now show damage-type in the description
• Right-clicking while in the inventory screen no longer activates an item if you’re not mousing over it
• Using non-useable items no longer plays a use sound effect

Another piece of fan art by community member @ArtMamoon! It still blows my mind that people are making fan art of my game!
For the next patch, I’m probably going to look into making combat smoother. I want to allow for more ations by the player and I need to look into a way to make that work that doesn’t rely on multi-layer, text-based menus.

Under the hood I’m currently also working on my editor tools. I’ve been adding in a search function and some tools to help spell checking (about time). For my map editor I’m currently creating maps tile by tile and I need to add the possibility of adding prefab segments into the map. It will make creating areas with a lot of repeating patterns (such as dungeons) a lot easier so I think that is going to provide quite the boost in productivity.

The Release Date
On the Steam page, the release date has been set to August 2nd 2021 for the Early Access version of the game.

That date is now coming up and I’m not ready for the EA yet. Part of the reason is that I’ve been prioritizing working on feedback from the demo. As you know, I got a lot more of it than I had expected and using it to make the game as good as possible is proving very worth-while.

So when is the new release date? I don’t know yet. Setting a date is hard it turns out. But rest assured that development is currently moving forwards at a very steady pace and the game keeps improving by the day.

There is also a question of how much of the game to have in the EA at release. My original plan has been to do pretty much 80-90% of the game before launching but I really need to think this through.

Experience from the demo shows me that a lot of players will prefer a shorter but more polished product that gets expanded as we go over a larger but more buggy experience.

What I’ll do is that I’ll finish implementing the first chapter (Idra) and see how that plays. If it feels substantial enough, I might consider doing a chapter-by-chapter launch (a bit like Larian is doing with BG 3).

Hope you’re not too disappointed with the postponement of the release date. The game is coming and you’re all helping make it great!

To support the game, keep playing the updates and offering feedback!

 

[Aemar]

This game will put Baldurs Gate 3 to a shame.

The game known as Baldur's Gate 3 doesn't deserve to be mentioned in this thread.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Soundtrack page is up. Will release around Aug 25-26 unless unforseen circumstances prevent me from doing so.

Backers eligible for the copy of the soundtrack should get their keys soon™.

 

[Infinitron]

GameBanshee preview: https://www.gamebanshee.com/previews/125381-skald-against-the-black-priory-preview/all-pages.html

Introduction

I'm sure at some point we've all imagined that ideal RPG we would totally make, provided we had a little more spare time, a bit more money, and the skill set required to actually make things happen. For me, that top-down or isometric game would have to be party and turn-based and feature deep systems, plenty of areas to explore, secrets to uncover, and quests to undertake.

Imagine my surprise when Scape-IT's upcoming RPG SKALD: Against the Black Priory was revealed, and it was as close to that dream game of mine as you could possibly get. And it was being developed more or less by just one guy.

As such, it's in no way surprising that I followed the project's development with great interest and played its many early builds. And now that the game is about to launch into early access, I figured I should check out its free Prologue and see how it's shaping up and whether or not it can live up to the game I've constructed inside my head.

Spoiler

Putting Love, and Craft, in Lovecraft

First of all, I have to mention that in its current state, SKALD is already a game much greater than originally advertised. You see, it started its journey as just another retro RPG styled after the Ultimas of old. In fact, at some point, it was intended to be just a means of highlighting the toolset used to create it.

That is no longer the case. Right now, SKALD is looking to be a fully-featured RPG that just happens to use the retro aesthetic. Essentially, it's a game from the '90s made to look like a game from the '80s.

As such, you can expect a deep and engaging adventure where you have a grand quest, plenty of side activities, and a merry band of recruitable companions who occasionally interject during conversations. Oh yes, you can also expect to see actual branching dialogues and not some unfathomable keyword-driven monstrosity.

You'll have an overworld map with random encounters, and also expansive locations to explore, dungeons to delve into, and NPC hubs to pilfer for quests and supplies.

On top of it all, you'll get the very much appreciated and easy to parse character and inventory screens, a proper quest log, and even a screen that tracks your faction relations. But it's all stylized to look downright ancient.

And the best part here is that you can navigate all of this with your mouse, like a civilized person and not some savage smashing his keyboard with both hands and insisting that this is the correct way of doing things. Alternatively, you can also go the savage route, since early on, it was the intended way of playing the game.

And this highlights SKALD's evolution from an idea, to a crowdfunded project, and now to a mostly finished product. During its development, pretty much all of the game's systems were adjusted to become more player-friendly, but also more complex.

For example, early on, the game's combat resembled the original Wasteland or The Bard's Tale, where you gave orders to your team and then just waited for things to resolve. Only instead of a purely text-based experience, SKALD offered a visual representation for these battles.

But after a few pivots, the game's combat now is a proper turn-based affair, where you can move your characters across the battlefield, use various combat feats, and cast spells in a fashion similar to the Gold Box games, only with a more reasonable encounter rate and enemy numbers.

Plus, instead of teleporting you to some featureless arena every time you run into some foes, the combat now takes place directly on the game's map, which adds some variety and opens up plenty of new tactical opportunities.

And while a lot of the game is now driven by our modern sensibilities, at its core, it still manages to maintain its old-school charm. There's just something magical about seeing the combat log say, "Bob (22 HP) faces: Rabid Rat (6 HP). Bob is armed with Dagger. Target is out of range! Move forward or equip a ranged weapon!"

Beyond just that, as neat as the game's soundtrack and pixelated visuals are, its world would've felt a bit too barren and lifeless if not for all the descriptions you get while exploring. Step on a tile and you get a few words about some sickly flowers you're passing by or a damp cave you've stumbled into. It's in no way intrusive but it's ever-present and it just makes the world feel that much more alive.

And when you pair that with the game's item descriptions that go a few steps beyond merely functional and tell you just what kind of sword you're looking at, or what the armor you're about to buy is made of, you get that special sense of immersion completely absent from most modern games.

And it's that much more impressive when you remember that it was mostly just one guy doing all the work here. A lot of love and effort clearly went into this project, and it shows.

What Would You Say You Do Here?

So, having gone over what the game is trying to be, let's take a look at how it actually plays in its current, pre-EA state.

The currently available Prologue offers a few hours of gameplay, a tutorial section, and a handful of early areas to explore.

The main quest tasks you with fetching your childhood friend of noble birth from a remote island where she intends to find some answers regarding her burgeoning magical abilities. Upon chartering a ship and hiring a crew of mercenaries, you set sail for the isle of Idra, but right as you're about to reach it, a Kraken-type creature sinks your boat and kills most of your crew in the process.

Once you get your bearings, you discover that the island isn't doing too hot either. Its wildlife has turned vicious and feral, ancient glyphs and songs long-thought of as superstition are suddenly acting very ominous, oh, and the island's main settlement recently got pillaged by a bunch of insane fishermen who keep babbling about various entities as mysterious as they are nefarious.

With no clear way of getting back, you do your best to survive alongside a few of the island's still relatively sane residents, while desperately trying to find some leads for your main quest.

This is pretty much the extent of the Prologue's content, but already, SKALD's story elements are shaping up nicely. The game does a great job of combining a gritty fantasy setting with some very much Lovecraftian elements. It also deftly introduces its worldbuilding without excessive exposition and has a few tricks up its sleeve to make the world feel more real.

Having played through the Prologue, and the earlier demos that featured a different section of the game, I can't wait to find out where it all goes.

If there's one thing to complain about when it comes to the game's story and writing, though, it's some of the dialogue options you're presented with. Basically, at times it can feel like you're playing as a Game of Thrones character who somehow managed to stumble into The Lord of the Rings. When the rest of the game goes for a certain, almost dreamy, atmosphere, your random bouts of swearing really stick out.

Story aside, the game is structured in a way that should be familiar to any RPG enthusiast - you have an overworld map peppered with various settlements, dungeons, and other points of interest. You explore those to move the story along or to find some cool loot. And while the overworld map will be throwing some random encounters at you every once in a while, the actual locations will offer you plenty of hand-placed encounters.

All of this is fueled by a custom roleplaying system with its roots firmly planted in D&D, but with plenty of unique spins to it.

At the moment, you have four classes to choose from, representing the traditional Fighter, Cleric, Rogue, and Wizard archetypes, but even these aren't quite finished yet. While the more unique classes - the Skald and the Captain - are yet to be introduced.

Each of the classes has access to a total of five attributes and a number of skills then derived from those. Wizards and Clerics also have access to some spells. Since the Prologue is pretty limited in scope, I can't be certain, but to the best of my understanding, the game's spellcasting system resembles that of Dungeons & Dragons Online most, where you have spell slots, but also a "mana" resource you use to cast them between rests.

A little bit of "mana" (and health) is restored after each battle, representing a short rest, but to get it all back, you need a proper long rest, though at present it's impossible to tell just how limited your rations and resting opportunities are going to be.

Upon leveling up, each character gets some points that can be used to buy a new feat. And while everyone gets the same options, depending on your character's class, some feats will cost more points and others less.

The skill system exists in a fairly limited state at the moment, but already it neatly leverages the game's digital nature not constrained by any physical dice. In SKALD, your skill level is used as the ceiling for a roll against some target number. Let's say you want to pick a lock with the difficulty of 10. Your lockpicking skill is 15. This gives you some room to hit the target number. But if your lockpicking is at 9, you're out of luck.

Things get more interesting when you have an opposing roll, like when you're trying to influence some NPC. There, your diplomacy skill is rolled against the NPCs, so theoretically, if you have diplomacy of 11 and the NPC has 15, you can still get lucky. However, right now, skill usage is fairly inconsistent, because, at one point, the game allowed me to try my luck against an NPC in this fashion, but during a different conversation it straight up didn't even let me roll with the same skill discrepancy.

I'm sure this is the kind of thing that will get ironed out during the upcoming early access phase, though. Already, the game can boast some neat features you wouldn't necessarily expect from a pre-EA project, like a working day-night cycle and the very impressive light and shadow system stemming from it.

Overall though, while clearly unfinished, the game is already really fun to play. It has that tough to pin down sense of adventure in spades, and I can't wait for it to get more content and a few extra layers of polish.

Technical Information

For an early build, the Prologue is already very stable. I haven't encountered any major bugs or crashes, and the worst thing about it is the occasional typo.

You can already save and load the game at will, and you get an autosave slot too, but currently, save slots are a bit broken and refuse to get overwritten.

The game also manages to avoid the plight of many a retro project that look like they were made back in the day, but run like a poorly optimized modern mess. In fact, I was quite surprised to see SKALD not only run really well but also be very modest with its resource usage.

One very annoying thing right now is the fact you can't change the game's resolution. You can choose to play in full screen or in a tiny window, and that's all. Other than that, the game looks great and pushes its pixelated visuals to the max. It even has an optional CRT mode that makes it look even more like an artifact of a lost age.

The game's UI still needs a lot of work, however. Right now, it's a bit too minimalistic for my taste, with lots of wasted space, things that look like buttons but aren't, buttons that do something, but I've no idea what, and one contextual button that's very inconsistent.

One last thing I want to mention here is a small pet peeve of mine. At times the game prompts you to press the Return key. Now here, I could feign indignation at the fact there's no such thing as a Return key, but having been stumped by this conundrum in the past, I now know that for some reason, there are those who refer to the Enter key as Return. Which is madness.

And I would've probably just grumbled to myself about this unfortunate naming convention and moved on if the game didn't also refer to the same button as Enter occasionally. And since only one of these prompts can stay, this is me making my voice heard - away with Return and all praise (press) Enter.

Conclusion

So, even though SKALD: Against the Black Priory still has a while to go before it's finished, now is a good time to ask yourself - should I be interested in this game? If you're looking for a nice RPG that can teach a lot of bigger projects a thing or two about presentation, writing, and system design, the answer is a firm yes.

But should you buy it during the early access phase? Ordinarily, the answer to this question is, "only if you want to support the developers."

However, Al, the guy behind this project, has shown time and again that he's very much open to feedback. Already, the game looks little like the humble retro throwback project it originally was. And a lot of these changes can be attributed to Al's cooperation with his backers. And if you'd like to join this merry bunch, you'll be able to do just that when the early access build goes live.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

The first volume of the soundtrack is out now. If you're eligible for a copy, you should get your keys soon.

If you're eagerly waiting for the release, this should help you pass the time until it's out.

 

[Abu Antar]

https://www.skaldrpg.com/2021/08/soundtrack-twitch-streams-and-level-design/

Soundtrack, Twitch Streams and Level Design

Ahoy there Skald fans! The last weeks have been exciting in the Skald universe: The soundtrack has dropped, I’ve started streaming, gotten some new Skald tools, celebrated my wife’s birthday, gotten my second COVID shot and ran my first marathon!


Note how you can walk behind walls now! This adds a lot of space to interior locations. Great Success!

The Skald Soundtrack is Out
Created by Skald composer and deranged genius Romanus Surt, the Skald soundtrack is now live on Steam!

The music for the game has gotten a lot of attention with it’s dark, unsettling ambience and I highly recommend checking it out. All proceeds from the sale go to Romanus Surt himself and as a great guy and fantastic artist, he truly deserves your patronage and attention.

If you backed Skald on Indiegogo or Kickstarter at “Knight” tier or higher you should have gotten a message from your platform with the Steam key for the album.

Twitch Streams
I’ve recently dipped my toes into streaming Skald development on Twitch and I have to say, so far I really like it. I’ve been coding and doing level design so far on the stream and I really enjoy the company as well as discussing my work process. I’d also love to have you guys tag along for some of my favourite RPGs every once in a while.



It seems like a very low effort way of keeping in touch with the community via video content since it doesn’t require any editing. If you enjoy watching streams, have questions about the Skald or just want to hang out, be sure to follow me on Twitch. I’ll be looking into finding times that work for both me and you guys, but in general I think the idea will be that if I’m working, I’ll consider streaming if what I’m doing might be exciting to follow in any way.

My account name is “Gallian_the_Great” and I’d be super pumped to see if we could get over 50 follows this week!

New Level Tools
I’ve been doing a lot of work on level-design tools and actual level designing this week. In particular I’ve been working on elements of the Horryn village, keep and sewers using my newest level editor tools.



One of the big changes in the new workflow, is the ability to create prefabs of map components and then cut and paste them into new maps. The great thing is that the system works such that if I go back and change the “mother” prefab, the change will cascade to all its children automatically and it makes is a dream to maintain and reuse components.



As an example, the sewer above is made out of prefab corridors and the tunnels above took about six mouse-presses to lay out. The time-savings for areas with a lot of repeating components (such as dungeons) will be huge.

In other words: Beta-testers should start getting ready to explore Horryn and its environs!

Want to see more of the level design process and the Skald tools? Make sure to follow my next Twitch stream for a deep dive!

Until then, have a fantastic day!

AL

 

[Siveon]

The prologue has been nothing short of excellent. I don't really care at all for most RPGs before 93 but despite the inspirations this one felt very fun. I chose not to continue since I wanted to see more of the game on release with a fresh eye.

 

[cyborgboy95]

 

[mindx2]

I know I keep saying it but my goodness this game is GORGEOUS!! If all the "mechanics" and story are as good under the hood* of this beauty then we are in for quite a treat!!

*

Spoiler

Though I've read it is I won't play any early access games as I want the full experience when I start.

 

[Sacibengala]

Speaking of EA, When it will be available on GOG to purchase?

 

[cyborgboy95]

 

[Machocruz]

Just got done with the prologue. Have been interested in this game since it was first announced here, and to the extent that the prologue is indicative of the entire game, I am not disappointed.

First, while I'm not the biggest fan of what I call 'homage games,' if it's anything we should have more of, it is good Ultima (specifically 4-7. More specifically 4 and 5) inspired CRPGs.

Second, I have been looking for a CRPG that feels "just right," and this game that. No one feature overshadows all others, or goes too far towards simplicity or complexity, shallowness or depth. Narrative sequences are doled out at just the right pace and proportion amongst combat and exploration. Dialogue is skillfully written, colorful, evocative, informative, yet concise, not overly, pointlessly verbose like so many other CRPGs in the last few years. Characters are well drawn, distinguished in their language and personality, and charming, even when they are vile reprobates. I've never been big on story in games, but because of those aforementioned qualities, I'm very interested in seeing where this one goes. The party banter and commentary was a pleasant surprise, not something I even gave any thought to when I wondered what the game would be like, but it adds much in emulating fantasy RPG adventuring that this game does so well (so far). Again, "just right". Everything is servicing the whole, which is that overall feeling of adventure. Something I feel has been missing from most RPGs (C, A, or otherwise) lately, in their attempt to be "deep" and "hardcore".

Props also to music and sound effects. I wasn't on computers when games like this came out, but it does remind me very much of NES games.

I also like how skill checks, light and dark, and dialogue keywords are implemented. It's like some kind of paradox how simple this game looks on the surface, but then you see it's actually a lot more detailed than it appears, but those details are implemented in a brilliantly simple way that is in line with the simple appearance. Amazing.

 

[ItsChon]

Just found this project and it looks absolutely amazing. Ultima and other games released around that time were operating with very small color palettes (8 or 16 I think?). Are you also using a smaller color palette? If so, the work you've done is amazing, you and your artists put these modern developers to shame considering they have many times the colors to work with and still produce a product that is many times worse than your beautiful game. The haptic feel of the game from the screenshots you've posted looks very satisfying as well, and overall I can't wait to play the finished product!

 

[cyborgboy95]

Now that the dev is working full-time on this game, hope it will get released faster, can't wait to try it!
https://www.skaldrpg.com/2021/10/i-just-quit-my-day-job/

I Just Quit My Day-Job
Yes you read that right! I just quit my day-job to work full time on “Skald: Against the Black Priory”!



This is huge news! Every semi-professional game developer dreams of going full time and I’ve finally made it.

Tell Us More!
Needless to say this is huge news for our game as it has just become my fulltime job. I just can’t wait to bring you what is essentially my dream game.



I’m bursting to tell you all the jucy details of how and why right away but I’m going to tease this one out a little while longer. Rest assured however: More awesome news IS coming in the upcoming weeks and I’m psyched to get to share it with you!

In other words: Stay posted on this site, my Twitter and our Discord!

I’m off to pop the champagne!

AL

 

[Narushima]

I just tried a bit of that "prologue" (not a prologue, just the beginning of the game ).
The control scheme is weird, it feels like you have to use the mouse, even if it should be all keyboard. It's weird how you can't move things around in your inventory, despite the fact it's a grid and not just a list.
Inventory is by default "E"? And it is the inventory, not just the equipement (I know you can rebind).

The music feels out of place.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Early Access when?

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://www.skaldrpg.com/2021/11/new-party-members/

The Skald RPG Devlog​

New Party Members
Greetings fellow RPG fans!

As you all know, it’s more fun to adventure with a party than going alone! That’s what I’ve been doing since I went full time as a developer: I’ve encountered a new party-member (of the “publisher” class)! They’re very passionate about the quest we’re on (making Skald) and bring a ton of new feats (QA/testing) and magic items (a marketing budget) to the fight! Even better: They have high-level henchmen/henchwomen (awesome experts in fields ranging from brand management to development, marketing and testing).

Who is this overpowered new character you ask? Well, I’m going to keep you guessing a little bit longer but some of you will have heard of them and you’ve certainly played some of the games they’ve published. They’re also chaotic good and can rage 2 / day.


Here’s some early stage concept art for different monsters of the more bizarre persuasion by the awesome Gustav Samuleson (@MechaBarbarian)


While I’m finishing my due notice from my (soon to be old) day-job, we’re taking the time to put together some promotional material, planning the development and release schedule and making our two organizations work together like a well-drilled adventuring party!

We’ll be announcing our cooperation and revealing our newest party-member December 14th so stay posted!

Spoiler

Early Access
One of the subjects we’ve been working on a bit internally, is the original plan of going to early access (EA) with Skald.


More concept art! Are those eyes following me?
This was originally predicated on the fact that as a solo-developer with no support, it would not be possible for me to make Skald as polished as I would like in time for a full launch. EA would provide proper testing and polish.

EA is great for this but there are also downsides:

1. The Steam community in general have begun expecting more polish from EA games than before. There is a tendency for EA games to get quite a lot of negative reviews for being “unfinished” which is ironic and sad.
2. Once you launch on EA, that’s it: You’ve had your launch. You don’t get a second launch day once you leave EA.

Though I’m sure the Skald community would have handled EA great, there is some risk involved and there is no doubt in my mind: Given the support and resources I now have access to (especially in terms of testing), I would much rather deliver a game that is polished and finished.

This means we’re aiming to launch the full game properly in 2022!

The Road Ahead
There will be a lot more info coming out just over the new year but here’s a rough outline:

THE PROLOGUE / DEMO
I’ve always strived to have development be transparent and inclusive. The prologue has been a hugely important tool towards achieving this and it will continue to be so. We’ll be “chonking” up the demo in 2022 as a kind of miniature Early Access to show off, and widely test, the game in its final form.


Make it stop!!!
TESTING
Testing for backers will continue as before and backers will be getting beta builds as they roll out. We will be looking into updating the testing infrastructure a bit and at some point we’ll also consider opening up beta-testing to a larger audience.

SCOPE
We’re not increasing the game’s scope or adding more features. What I am doing is spending more time polishing the tools for data-entry. Not only is this making the game (and any sequels) easier to build in the long term, it also means you’ll get better modding-tools (we’re releasing all our tools post launch).

CROWDFUNDING REWARDS
Needless to say, our new partnership does not change anything in regards to the rewards we’ll be producing. All I can say is that there are exciting discussions being had about how we can make the most of the physical products we’re going to make. Stay posted!

As for those backers who get to contribute with portraits and game-content, it’s not too late at all. We’ll be sorting this as we go and the train will not leave without you.


IÄ IÄ!
In Closing…
There is a limit to how much I can say at this point but more info is coming. Just remember: Save December 14th for the reveal of our new party member and there may even be some Christmas shenanigans coming up!

 

[Infinitron]

tl;dr SKALD has a publisher, Early Access cancelled, expanded demo and final release next year. Formal announcement on December 14th.

LESS T_T Let's see if we can find out who this secret publisher is.

 

[Strange Fellow]

No Early Access:

Publisher:

In summary:

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

My bet is Chucklefish.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.skaldrpg.com/2021/11/the-silver-dancer-part-1/

The Silver-Dancer (Part 1)


Greetings RPG-fans! Winter is here and where I live, we’ve seen the sun for the last time in two months. As the wind begins to howl and wolves stalk at the edge of the campfire’s light, nothing warms my bones like a good story.

Those of you who follow the devlog know I enjoy writing short fiction for the Skald universe. It’s a great way for me to flex some creative muscles and it also helps me take a break from coding and just immerse myself in world-building.

I consider my writing Skald canon BUT with the caveat that the canon is still flexible since we’re still early in the process. However, though details may change, more importantly I hope the stories manage to convey the feel and mood of the setting.

“The Silver-Dancer” will be dropping in three parts over the next three weeks so stay posted! Dig in, and if you like it, be sure to check out the “Skald: Against the Black Priory” prologue on Steam!

Spoiler

The Silver-Dancer
PART 1
Ozon. Metal. Incense – The air was heavy with it.

With the unassuming gait that only much training can confer on those who are nothing but unassuming, the HISTORIAN crossed the threshold into the half-darkness of the strange chamber. The walls had an odd metallic sheen and rose to a domed roof somewhere high in the darkness above. There were odd curves where the floor gave way to walls and the rounded angles of the corners gave the chamber an odd, dizzying quality. It was difficult to guess at it’s true size: It felt cramped yet massive at the same time.

In the center of the chamber stood a raised dais and atop it, a massive, lidless sarcophagus. The HISTORIAN squinted in the half-darkness as he examined it: Tens of thousands of minute runes decorated its surface. Each carved with such precision that he doubted it was work of human hands. He shuddered internally.


The HISTORIAN
At the base of the dais stood his host: A frail-looking hunched figure clad in rich silken robes. The HISTORIAN detested the Court of Auspices. A magus of Auspice would always provide an answer, he mused, even when it had to be ‘conjured’ into existence. A detestable praxis.

They were decadent mystics. At best.

That was not to say they were without their use. One simply needed to sift through the pomp and ritual and he did need the intelligence. It was, in fact, vital. Not to mention, he was also curious: Very few were allowed to observe the Magi of Auspice perform their rituals. He had been required to remind the magus of his office and even then, the wretch had been reluctant. But who was he to deny him? Who was anyone to deny him?

A gong rang in the darkness.

Mute, white-clad servants filed past the HISTORIAN carrying flasks and amphorae. Ascending to the sarcophagus, one of them began stirring its oily content as the others gently emptied their vessels. Scented fumes of strange and exotic concoctions filled the chamber and the HISTORIAN suppressed an urge to cover his nose with his robe. Or was it perhaps against the obvious mysticism of the ritual?

Suddenly, and as one, the servants ceased their milling alchemical rite and withdrew from the edge of the fluid-filled sarcophagus. The ancient magus began his slow ascent up the dias on trembling legs. As he stood before the sarcophagus, he stopped and let the silk robes fall from his body. A silent servant was there to catch the garment whilst another placed a lidless mask of black satin on the magus’ forehead. It all looked like some well-choreographed dance.

The HISTORIAN winced imperceptibly: The naked form of the man that stood before the sarcophagus was broken in a way he had rarely, if ever, seen before. It shooked him.

All magi paid a terrible price for their power and though they took great care to hide the ways in which it marred them, it could not be stopped. How long, how wondered, would he be able to stave off its corruption?

Two more servants, silently came to the aid of the broken man, gaze averted, as he mounted the rim of the sarcophagus and then slowly lay down in the thick, viscous fluid. For the second time, the gong sounded. The HISTORIAN started ever so slightly and for a man who had spent so much of his life trying to perfect the art of appearing unfathomable this was no small feat. Slipping into a very light combat-meditation, he perceived a very slight raising of his heart-beat and an unmistakable rush of blood in his ears. Why? Was there danger? And why did it feel like the magos was biding for time?


Corrupted Mystics
The heavy doors swung silently open and a new group of servants filed into the room: Six men and women, dressed in dark, ragged robes with shaved skulls and disturbing all-white eyes. Their faces were dull and their gait shuffling. Yet there was something about them: The markings! These were magi! Or rather, the HISTORIAN realized, these HAD been magi. There were rumors. Rumors that not all candidates who joined the Court of Auspice survived their initiation with their minds intact.

The grim troupe shuffled blindly up the stairs, groping before themselves until they found the sarcophagus. Moaning wordlessly, they turned around and sank heavily to the floor until all six were seated on the cold stone dais, backs facing the metallic sarcophagus. Their heads tilted back towards the rune-covered surface and thus they sat absolutely motionless.

The HISTORIAN stood transfixed as all was utter silence in the darkened chamber. When the gong sounded for the third time, he instinctively began the internal chanting that induced the deeper combat meditation. The “dance” was about to begin and he had asked much of the old magos. Perhaps too much?

To be continued…

That’s all for now. Check in next week for part two.

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Cheers,

AL

 

[Thac0]

My bet is Chucklefish.

Would be decline, chucklefish has been cursed by an Ainu Gypsy so that all games published by them must be wannabe JRPGs and can not be better than 8/10.
I have more hopes for this.