"Exalted" Makes Its Way To The A.L.I.C.E. Files

Regulars on this blog likely know that in addition to writing RPGs, novels, and short stories, I also do a fair bit of work with audio dramas and dramatic readings. It's why earlier this year, in partnership with Alice Liddell, I was part of the launch of the ongoing audio drama channel The A.L.I.C.E. Files over on YouTube. While most of the episodes we've put out so far have been dramatizations of original fiction by Alice and myself, and narrations for public domain stories, we recently provided a glimpse into a fan story set in the world of Exalted, using the Dark Pack agreement.

But how File 006 - The Butcher's Toll came to be is almost as interesting as the story itself... so I wanted to take a moment to tell everyone the background of this tale, and let you know how you can expand the story of Barabbas the Butcher if you enjoy this little glimpse of his adventures.

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Try It, You Might Like It!

I have played a lot of different games in my time, but generally speaking I'm not a huge fan of wuxia RPGs, and I'm not a big fan of games where the PCs are mythical in terms of their power. Knowing that, you'd think that Exalted, as a game, really wouldn't do it for me... after all, what I just described is kind of the game's meat and potatoes.

However, Exalted (and specifically Exalted 2nd Edition) is a good friend of mine's favorite game (or, at least, one of their top favorites), and they were determined to find some way to share this experience with me. I wanted to find some way over the barrier, as well, because I knew a lot of folks who enjoyed Exalted, but everything I found about it just left me kind of struggling to find purchase.

Until, that was, my friend handed me the book Manual of Exalted Power: The Infernals.

This cover doesn't do justice to how messed up this content is.

This was the book that unlocked my interest. Because while I found the fallen magitech setting of Creation interesting, the standard solar exalted just weren't really grabbing my attention. Ditto for the lunars, the sidereals, and even the alchemicals. But the idea that mutilated gods that had been banished to hell, twisted into terrible, broken reflections of what they once were, stole some the solar exalted souls and wrenched them into corrupted weapons to set loose upon the world to reclaim it again in their name... well, now that was something I could get behind!

However, while I read the base book and the infernal book cover-to-cover (not an easy or pleasant experience on a screen), I felt the need to create a character who didn't have some great, grand destiny. Someone down-to-earth, who would have been happy to live a simple life, had circumstances gone differently. Someone that the world wronged, and let down.

And thus Barabbas was born.

A simple butcher, he lived with his wife, his son, and his daughter. When the servants of a Death Lord assaulted his village, and kidnapped his sister-in-law (among other folk), he took up his hewing tool to try to save them. When one of the dragon blooded came with his men, he thought they'd been rescued. Instead of helping the people of the village, the dragon blooded had the survivors all thrown in irons, and the village burned. Torn from the rest of his family, Barabbas was condemned to a mine. He led a failed uprising, and was the be painfully tortured and executed in front of the other slaves.

 

So when a servant of Malfeas, the broken king of hell, offered Barabbas power, he took it without a second's hesitation.

I was so proud of this character, and his tale, that I made an audio introduction to share with the rest of the players. I had been planning on doing the same for other folks who were interested so we could have a bit of a sizzle reel. And while we had the first few sessions of the game, sadly, it had to go on hiatus almost as soon as it began.

But That Doesn't Mean The Story Ends There

It's been years since I put Barabbas together, and I have copious notes about his tale. His journey through hell, which of the yozi that he spoke to, and which of them gave him gifts that he accepted. I have details about the places he went, the allies he gathered, and even about what his war against slavery would become as he tears apart Creation in search of his wife and children. The vibe I was going for was Conan by way of The Incredible Hulk, if he was powered by hell, with a heavy dash of Journey to The West.

And if that sounds like a story you'd want to hear, then there are steps you can take to make it happen!

Do I have your attention?

File 006 is what's called an "orphan" file by the Carroll Institute... to translate that for the audience, these "orphans" represent possible starts to a longer series of stories, should folks want to know more.

This could go a number of different ways. For instance, further reports could happen in the series canon, dropping every now and again when Alice is in the office and reviewing material from the archive. Alternatively, we could put the stories together as a side project that goes up between seasons of the main plot. We could even give the series its own slot, much like how Alice's Adventures in Wonderland currently has a chapter-by-chapter playlist.

A lot of that, though, is going to depend on what you want as our audience!

So if you are someone who would like more than just this little sample of Barabbas's story, here's what you need to do to make sure we hear you, and have the resources to make it happen:

- Subscribe to The A.L.I.C.E. Files

- Upvote The Butcher's Toll

- Leave a comment on the video telling us you want a sequel

- Share the video on your own social media pages, and tell your friends about the show

Sadly, we're a long way off from the 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours we would need to get the channel fully monetized. But, in fairness, if The Butcher's Toll can get 17,000 views, I'm pretty sure that would put us over both goals quite smoothly.

And if that happens, we'll basically be free to write, record, and edit whatever kind of episodes you all want to hear!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Table Talk. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my more involved audio drama channel The A.L.I.C.E. Files! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

My First Patreon Shout Out (And A Big Thanks For All The Help!)

February has been a busy month so far, and unfortunately it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon. I was at Capricon this past weekend (my first time there since 2020, now that they're in a more accessible location), and now that I'm back I've got dozens of projects to pick back up.

However, it's also the first time I've posted in a new month since my Patreon page shifted to a monthly tier system, instead of a per-post system. And since I promised to give a shout out to my supporters who have moved to at least the $10 a month level, I wanted to take a moment to do that.

To Phillip Litherland and Tracy Bailey-Matthews, my thanks for putting yourselves on this level!

Seriously, thank you!

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

All Support Is Welcome (And Very Much Needed At This Point)

For folks who don't get all of my updates on their For You Page, at the start of the year I officially transitioned my Patreon from a per-item account (where followers were charged for every blog I wrote) to a monthly account (where it's a flat fee every month). I have the full details in my recent post Improved Initiative's Patreon is Now Monthly (And I Could Really Use Your Help), but the short and sweet of it is that I made this transition because there had been rumblings that soon there would be limitations placed on the per-item account option and I wanted to get ahead of that as a creator.

The issue I've run into is that Patreon just left everyone at whatever their previous amount was... the issue for me is that instead of someone paying $1 per blog I put up (so $10 to $12 a month), it's now $1 a month. So my Patreon has gone from earning between $180 to $200 a month (which was my grocery and utility money) to about $65 a month.

So in addition to shouting out the folks who have stepped up to help in this time of transition, I wanted to take a moment to ask others out there to help me get back on my feet. Whether you're already a paid patron who hasn't upgraded their tier yet, or you're someone who wants to toss your coin in the cup, I definitely need all the help I can get right about now.

Any and all help is appreciated!

While this is a new step on a new path, it's also proving to be a treacherous one full of spikes! Which is why I wanted to ask those reading this a couple of questions:

- Do you find any of the current tiers on my Patreon appealing?

- Is there something else I could offer as a creator that would get your interest?

- What is stopping you from supporting me as a patron?

There are no wrong answers to any of these questions, I'm just trying to get a sense of where my audience is at, and if there is anything I could do to make my blogs (and other projects) even more appealing and/or helpful and useful for my readers!

As I've said more times than I can count, creators live and die based on audience support. So if you're here and supporting me, in whatever form that takes, thank you. I'm going to keep pushing on, and I hope you'll come on this new journey with me!

On a final note, those who want to give me a one-time tip rather than committing to becoming a monthly patron, please consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi! Thank you.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Changes Are Coming To My Patreon In August!

Improved Initiative has been running for something like 12 years now, but what a lot of folks may not know is that I started this blog at basically around the same time that I got on Patreon. The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page has been a literal lifesaver for me, and it is one of the major reasons I'm able to stay afloat as a professional writer. There's no ads on this blog, or on my sister blog The Literary Mercenary; all the money I earn from these platforms is either from patrons who help pay my bills, or people who buy things through my affiliate links in my articles.

That's it.

However, there's going to be a change in my Patreon starting this August. So if you're one of my patrons, you'll definitely see this post shortly. And if you're not, but you've been considering it, well, this might be good news for you!

Especially if you only have a little bit of cash to spare.

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Finally Swapping To A Per-Month Structure

So, when Patreon first started, creators on the platform had the option to charge patrons either a flat fee per month (basically a subscription), or a fee per item they created. I opted for a per-item cost, so I charged my patrons for 2 blog entries a week, and I made my Monday posts free of charge. I chose this structure because it generally kept me on-task, and I feel like it kept me accountable to my patrons because if I didn't write a blog entry in a given week, then I didn't get paid for that week... pure and simple.

However, all good things have to come to an end. It seems like this Fall Patreon is giving creators a choice. You can stick with a per-item payment structure if you want to, but if you do that then you won't be able to get new patrons until you shift to a monthly payment structure.

And while I love every single one of my patrons... I don't have enough of them to make that kind of decision. So to get ahead of the curve, this August I'm going to shift my Patreon over to the monthly subscription model.

Needs be when the devil drives, sadly.

At time of writing, this is the only thing that should be changing. I fully intend to keep my regular posting schedule, and to include extra content for my paying patrons when I have it (particularly free copies of my latest TTRPG supplements when they drop). However, I want to ask a favor from anyone who is currently a patron, or who is considering becoming a patron.

I'd appreciate any and all help you can give.

I know times are tough, and budgets are tight. But a big reason I didn't make this change sooner is that I only have 30 or so paying patrons, and I only bring in about $200 a month or so. I didn't want that to drop to under 100 because folks didn't notice the change, and I suddenly had an even harder time making ends meet for bills.

So if you enjoy my work, and you want to help support me, then please consider dropping in and becoming a Patreon patron. My plan is to make this change in August 2025 as soon as the July patronage clears, and my balance returns to zero.

And, of course, if there are other things you would like to see me add to my Patreon, feel free to let me know that down in the comments below!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Asking My Audience About a Partnership Program

As all my long-time readers know, being an author and TTRPG creator isn't exactly a rock star gig when it comes to cashing checks. The per-word rate of pay in RPGs is one of the lowest in the whole publishing industry, and you need to sell hundreds, if not thousands, of any given supplement, game, etc., just to stay one step ahead of your rent. The Azukail Games YouTube channel isn't monetized yet, and I even went so far as to strip ads off this blog years ago because it just wasn't worth the time, energy, and hassle.

I mention all of that to put this week's question into context... because I've recently come across Dubby energy drinks, and I'm examining their partnership program. My question for you all is whether you think this is something I should jump into, or if you feel it's too far off-brand for me as a TTRPG creator? Or just not relevant enough to you as my readers?

I don't mind rolling the dice... but I like to know the odds, first.

As always, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Dubby Energy, Gamers, and Marketing

All right, so, if you're not terminally online for either work or pleasure then you may not have seen Dubby, and its campaign to recruit gamers of all shapes and sizes to its brand. For those who haven't come across the company or its product before, be patient with me while I go through the exposition here.

This requires a bit of background.

So, first things first, we've all seen sponsorship deals for creators we like. Generally speaking the way it works is that when a creator gets big enough, and they have a dedicated audience who watches their videos, reads their blogs, and so on, companies come to them, offer them a payment, free product, or usually both, in order for the creator to promote the company. If you're on YouTube you've seen the ads for Raid: Shadow Legends, Raycon earbuds, Better Help Counseling, Nord VPN, and gods above and below only know how many other companies and products.

Well, Dubby is a powdered energy drink company that has a product most of us are familiar with, at least in style. You buy a packet (or a can) of drink mix, and then when you want some fast energy (typically as a result of a rush of caffeine along with other parts of their in-house formula) you scoop out the powder, add in some cold water, stir or shake it up, and boom, you're good to go.

What they're doing differently (on the marketing front) is that instead of only cutting checks to big streamers, video channels, etc., is that they're purposefully seeking out people with a modest following in order to give them a chance to get their hands on some cash. However, the Dubby partnership program isn't a sponsorship, in the sense that they cut you a check to promote them... it's basically an affiliate sales program.

I talked about affiliate sales programs back in Tabletop Mercenary, Episode 5, but for those who didn't watch it, these programs are pretty straightforward. The way they work is that you, as a member of the program, create a special link to promote the products. When someone buys the product, you get a percentage of the sale as your commission. So if, for example, someone bought a copy of my World's Oldest Profession: 100 Courtesans and Concubines supplement from this link, I would receive about $0.30 as a royalty for the sale (because I'm the creator), but I'd also receive an additional $0.07 as an affiliate fee because I made the sale through one of my links.

Dubby's program works the same way. I wasn't mailed any free product to review or tell you about, and I'm not getting paid a fee to tell my audience about them. But if folks do choose to check it out via a link of mine (such as through this link to Dubby's product collection, or the links later in this blog), and you make a purchase, then I would get an affiliate fee for that sale.

If nobody buys anything, though, I get nothing. No free merch, no advertising fee from the company, etc.

From a business perspective, this is a smart move by the company. They're hoping to get smaller creators, channels, etc., to help advertise their product, and market them to their followings. By lowering the bar for entry, and getting a larger number of smaller creators instead of just focusing on those with big followings, and then only paying them when they make a sale instead of a blanket, up-front check, that means there's more people overall boosting the signal and shining a light onto Dubby as a company.

The Question, Of Course, Is Whether It Works For You?

I explained all of that to ask a simple question... is that something you all care about?

Because on the one hand, I would like to make money with this partnership program. As I outlined above, I don't make a lot as a professional writer, and the constant shifts and changes to social media and search algorithms makes it harder and harder every day. I even had an idea for a tongue-in-cheek, Pentex-style commercial for some of their products that I'd love to work into a video essay about this World of Darkness version of capitalism, if that's something folks might get a kick out of?

On the other hand, I'm aware of the marketing demographics of products like this. It primarily trends younger, and toward those looking to keep their fast-twitch reflexes going, rather than those who are looking to keep their eyes open while sitting around a table with friends and rolling click clack math rocks. Not that tabletop gamers (or TTRPG creators, for that matter) are averse to highly caffeinated concoctions made to circumvent the laws of our bodies like some kind of dark alchemy, but still, we aren't usually the market for stuff like this.

Seriously, though? Doesn't "Dubsludge" sound like something Pentex would make?

So if this is something you'd like to see me talk about/put on my blogs and videos in the future, and you want to actually get my thoughts on these products (along with video evidence of my consuming them and totally not turning into a fomori), then consider going to the main page and telling me which flavors I should get, and what you want to see me try out before making a pitch to you all. And if you've already tried this particular product, and you have recommendations of your own, then leave those in the comments, too!

However, if you don't want to see this kind of product placement, you're not interested in this brand, or you just don't think it's a good match for what you've come to expect from me, put that in the comments as well! I don't want to waste time dropping links to products people aren't interested in or my audience won't buy, because that's a waste of my time, as well as your time.

With that said, if this isn't something you're interested in, but you still want to support me and my work, please consider some of the following things if you aren't doing them already!

- Follow My Facebook

- Follow My LinkTree

- Subscribe To My Weekly Newsletter

- Subscribe To The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)

- Subscribe To My Rumble Channel (longer videos that won't show up on YouTube)

- Bookmark and Read Through My Vocal Archive

And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!

Generally speaking, I'm just trying to keep the lights on around here so I can keep writing articles, short stories, making audio dramas and YouTube videos, and so on, and so forth. Your feedback matters in this situation, so don't be shy about it!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

What Do You Want To See Next in "Sundara: Dawn of a New Age"?

Regular readers know that since 2021 I've been releasing content for my own fantasy RPG setting Sundara: Dawn of a New Age. This setting is available both for Pathfinder Classic, as well as for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, and my goal with it was to upend a lot of the old stereotypes and conventions that come with fantasy RPGs, but without throwing the baby out with the bath water.

While I covered some of this in my blog What is "Sundara: Dawn of a New Age" All About?, the short version is that I wanted to make a game setting that tossed out monolithic aspects by adding more organic details, and which focused more on embracing new solutions and ways of doing things instead of feeling like it was constantly trying to re-capture some lost, mythic golden age.

Some of the things I've already done include:

- Removing alignment entirely.

- Making the gods more mysterious, and variable.

- Expanded non-human species so they are just as (if not more) varied than humans.

- Removed the concept of countries as we know them today, making power structures more varied.

- Added a bunch of weird guilds, technologies, and uses of magic across the setting.

Stuff is getting strange as the setting spreads out.

While I have plenty of ideas that I could spin up going forward, I wanted to take this week's Monday update to ask what you, the readers, would like to see?

Before we get into it this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

What Would Get You More Interested in The Setting?

When I started this series off it began with Cities of Sundara, providing guides for places like Ironfire: City of Steel and Moüd: City of Bones. After I'd established several of these locations I put out a guide to how gods and the divine work in the setting (which is a lot less structured and established than in many other settings I've seen, where the mythology we hear is often taken as fact), and then moved on to Species of Sundara where I laid out broader diasporas and cultures for dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings, orcs, and the Blooded (a combination of so-called half-elves and half-orcs). The most recent release, Sellswords of Sundara, covered famous and infamous mercenary companies, and soon there will be a collection of 10 towns with full details.

My question for you, as a Game Master or a player, is what would you be interested in seeing more of going forward? Not just in a, "This would be neat," sense, but in a, "I would pay money to support that," sense.

It's what makes the wheels turn, after all.

Current possible plans include:

- Expansion of locations in the setting (more town and city guides).

- Expansion of species guides (with more creatures and unique player options for them).

- Campaign modules (so players could actually explore some of the setting in more detail).

- World detail guides (moving on from mercenaries to guilds, cults, and other organizations).

While these aren't the only options, there are two projects that are not currently on the roster, and that's releasing a full-sized setting guide, and releasing a full pre-written campaign. The big reason for this is not because I wouldn't be interested in these things, but because this is a one-man show, and those kinds of projects take a lot of time to put together. So, generally speaking, anything that can't be completed in 1-2 months isn't feasible with the audience size Sundara currently commands. If audience demand grows then those things might be possible down the line, but not for the immediate future.

Which is, incidentally, the main reason so much of this content is designed to slot into homebrew games as well. Because if you just want one or two aspects, you can pluck them out of the setting without requiring a bunch of strings to come with it.

Well, most of the time, at least.

Also, for added clarity, I am not the publisher for this setting. I'm just the writer; Azukail Games is the one who's putting out all these splats. So I'm not just asking you what folks would like to see going forward because I want to sell more copies (though that is part of it). It's also because I need to be able to show growing interest in the setting, and to create a track record of positive sales, in order to get further books approved for writing and release.

So tell me what you want to see! Leave a comment below, or reach out to me on social media, but my ears are open for what would get more folks interested in checking out this setting as I add on to it.

Lastly, if you're not familiar with the releases to-date, I've linked them all below with a general description for you. And if you do choose to check them out, I hope they surpass expectation! Don't forget to stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, as well, where I have several videos talking about Sundara, the philosophy behind it, and covering some of what I'm trying to do with this particular world. Consider subscribing, as well, as we need to hit 1k followers there, and we haven't even broken 300 yet.

Take a Look For Yourself!

I took a brief break on making new Sundara content at the start of the year, but I'm already back on the wagon! Sellswords of Sundara (available for Pathfinder Classic as well as DND 5E) is full of unique archetypes/subclasses for mercenary companies that come with their own themes, histories, NPCs, rumors, and more, and that should be coming out shortly. Coming soon you'll also have Towns of Sundara, so that folks have some smaller places to put between the cities that are just as interesting and unique in their own ways (and which acts as a good follow up to 10 Fantasy Villages, which kicked this whole project off in the first place).

Cities of Sundara

The setting first began with the Cities of Sundara splats. Self-contained guides to some of the larger and more powerful centers of trade, industry, arms, and magic, these unique locations provide plenty of fodder for character generation and plots. Not only that, but each one comes with unique, mechanical goodies for players and GMs alike to take out for a spin!

- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built around the Dragon Forge, Ironfire is where the secret to dragon steel was first cracked. The center of the mercenary trade in the region, as well as boasting some of the finest schools for teaching practical sciences, Ironfire is a place where discovery and danger walk hand in hand!

- Moüd: The City of Bones (Pathfinder and DND 5E): An ancient center of trade and magic, Moüd was lost to a cataclysm, and then buried in myth. Reclaimed by the necromantic arts of the Silver Wraiths guild, this city has once again become a place teeming with life. Despite the burgeoning population, though, it is the continued presence of the undead that helps keep the city running, ensuring that Moüd is not swallowed up once more.

- Silkgift: The City of Sails (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built on the cottage industry of Archer cloth (an extremely durable material used for sails, windmills, etc.), Silkgift is a place that prizes invention and discovery. From gravity batteries that store the potential of the wind, to unique irrigation systems, to aether weapons, the city positively churns out discoveries... and then there's the canal they cut through the mountains that makes them a major center of trade across the region.

- Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A center of power across an entire region, Hoardreach is ruled over by a Cooperation of five different dragons. A place for refugees and outcasts of all sorts, Hoardreach boasts some of the most unusual citizens and creations from across Sundara. Infamous for their sky ships, which require the cast-off scales and unique arcane sciences of the Dragon Works to take to the air, one never knows just what they'll find in this city built atop a mountain.

- Archbliss: The City of The Sorcerers (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A floating city in the sky, Archbliss has been a refuge for sorcerers for thousands of years. It's only in relatively recent years that the city has allowed those from the ground below who lack the power of a bloodline to join them in the clouds. However, while there are certainly amazing wonders to behold, there is a darkness in Archbliss. Something rotting away at its heart that could, if not healed, bring the city crashing to the ground once more.

Gods of Sundara

- Gods of Sundara (available for Pathfinder and DND 5E): In a world with no alignment, and where the gods are often genuinely mysterious forces that are far too large for mortals to truly comprehend, the divine feels genuinely strange and unknown... something that really does have to be taken on faith. This supplement provides a sample pantheon for Sundara, but also provides instructions on how to easily make your own gods in a world where you can't cast a spell and tell whether someone is good or evil.

Species of Sundara

Sundara is filled with creatures that many of us recognize, but I wanted to give greater depth to their cultures, and a wider variety of options. After all, humans always get 15+ ethnicities, languages, and unique histories, while elves, dwarves, orcs, halflings, etc. are almost always left with footnotes, or maybe with a handful of offshoots. So, in short, I wanted to give all the fantastical creatures the treatment that humans usually get in our games.

And there is no human book yet. If readers demand to know more, then I may sit down to pen one... but I figured that humans didn't need to be front-and-center in this setting just yet.

- Elves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Elves are one of the most quintessential fantasy creatures... but if you want to see more than just high elves, wood elves, and elves of the sun and moon, then this supplement has you covered!

- Dwarves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): The children of the primordial giants who were meant to fill in the details of the world they'd made (or so the myths say) there are as many kinds of dwarves as their are kinds of giants... and possibly more, depending on who is keeping count.

- Orcs of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Supposedly a creation of the elves, none can say for certain exactly how or why orcs have been made. What most agree on is that these creatures are far more than most may think at first glance.

- Halflings of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Little cousins to the dwarves, halflings are tough, clever, and not to be underestimated. From living beneath the hills, to taking up residence in the deep forests, halflings in Sundara come in quite a variety!

- The Blooded (Half-Elves and Half-Orcs) [Pathfinder and DND 5E]: When orcs and elves mix their bloodlines with other creatures, the result is one of the Blooded. This inheritance takes many forms, and it can even wait generations before manifesting when the right combination of individuals come together to have a child.

- Gnomes of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Gnomes are strange creatures, found in places where the spirit of the land has coalesced and made children of its own. The sons and daughters of the ancient nymphs, they are the stewards of these places, and they change as often as the weather and the land.

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