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Our last update was pretty heavy. We figured it's better to just say how it is, rather than say nothing.
We're committed to update more often and start showing you our progress. But we're going to have to show you, not just tell you.
You can expect another update early next week with some Act 2 + 3 Encounter design progress!
With that out of the way, Gen Con is happening right now and we’re excited to show off all our new resin kits and provide everyone with some fun narrative figures that can be used in your current game and in future stories for Middara.
Let’s dive into it!
We wanted to update everyone on outstanding resin orders.
Lo-fi kits that have been ordered are being shipping immediately unless your order contained a Lo-fi Nightingale pin, in which case, your order should ship by early next week.
The Lupercalia 2022 - 2023 kits from our pre-orders have been more complicated to sort out logistically, but are being picked and packed now and will start shipping this month.
Vestalia marks our first event where our offering is complete and ready to ship upon ordering!
This is something that Succubus Publishing has been striving for. This means that any resin kit ordered during this event will be shipped out in the order it is received in.
We’ve decided to make sure that any cards in our resin kits reflect the best quality they can. Due to this decision, our resin kits must be necessarily limited. Combined with the fact that we are using one of the best artisan miniature manufacturers in the world, our resin kits that include cards will only be available while supplies last.
This doesn’t mean we won’t release them again in the future, but it is likely the only opportunity to get resin with cards included.
Additionally, for those who want to know, we are planning on plastic releases in the future.
So apparently, while writing this update we sold through nearly all the kits we brought to the convention in just 2 hours... this was not expected. We'll be overnighting a new batch for the convention. However, this means that our local resin manufacturer will be working overtime to get kits fulfilled to meet demand. Which, in turn, means that any resin kits ordered during this event will still ship out relatively quickly, but must be prepared and packaged by hand into our fancy boxes before being sent out. This could set back any orders by a week or two. However, any orders placed will still be shipped within the month!
As summer finally sets in here in the northern hemisphere, we’ve got an exciting update planned to really bring in those palm tree and sunshine vibes.
For those who might’ve missed our previous updates, here’s a quick catch up. Middara has more than just a core game. We’ve also got adventure packs, which tell shorter stories. But sometimes we have other awesome stuff to add that doesn’t quite fit the scope of an adventure, but still enhances the story of our base games in exciting ways.
With such a story heavy game, there are plenty of moments during our narrative where the characters might thematically be wearing different outfits, armor, or change in physical ways. These short, but meaningful moments of our game can be captured and make for fun miniatures while also providing a visual use case within the game itself!
This means that even these smaller products fit into the story, exploring new places, holidays, and cultures of Middara.
Of course, technically, you don’t miss out on anything in our story if you don’t have Rook wearing a speedo on your table.
Technically…
One of those ways is with our resin kits, which provide fun new models to beef up the game with optional minis and items to really show the immersion of the story. Even these smaller products fit into the story, exploring the places, holidays, and cultures of Middara.
Now that we’ve got a little sand under our toes and the sun shining down overhead, let’s talk about the newest Resin Kit expansions, and the holiday it commemorates: Vestalia.
Though the festival of Vestalia is celebrated in cities all Elenia, one settlement has embraced it with particular vigor—Sernai. Sernai represents a warm, tropical coast of Elenia, with crystal waters and shallow reefs. The region is much too shallow for seagoing trade, and lacks any useful ports—instead, it’s turned into a world-renowned vacation destination, visited by Elenians and others from further abroad.
At a future point in our story, the characters we meet in Unintentional Malum will finally have a little time to recover and replenish themselves after many months of difficult adventuring. When that well-deserved day finally arrives, they will find themselves on the shores of Sernai just in time for Vestalia.
It’s sometimes easy to forget in the fantasy world of Middara that the characters grew up in a world very much like our own—including all our conceptions of relaxation, vacation, and fun. These traditions travel with them into Elenia, and only grow stronger as the population of Seattle-recruited immigrants grows and eventually outnumbers Elenia’s founding population.
This year’s Vestalia Resin kits include alternate art Adventurer Cards, Exclusive Art Cards, Unique Items, a high quality immaculate miniature.
Each figure brings a Vestalia-themed item to add to your game. When the time comes (or you’re just feeling it, we don’t judge), these swimsuit versions of our protagonists can end up on your game table, bringing in the spirit of summer fun.
Our Vestalia miniatures can be acquired in person at Gencon or online during this event!
This time our kits are separated into two large boxes. Vestalia 2023 Box A and Box B. This allows us to provide a unique miniature for each character at an affordable price that also includes high quality cards.
Vestalia Resin Kit A
Vestalia Resin Kit B
Okay, we admit it. Within our massive 200,000+ word narrative Nyx never goes to the beach while the rest of the main cast are there. But who cares, she’s visited Sernai Beach plenty of times and loves the place.
Given the opportunity, we would lament not providing her as a resin kit.
For your painting pleasure, we also have exclusive alternate sculpts for Effie and Nyx for sale. These resin kits include the models only and don’t contain any gameplay content.
If you’re at Gen Con, don’t hesitate to swing by our booth to check them out in person.
The morning of Vestalia arrived with the kind of perfect sunny day that seemed made for celebrations. The festival started early—with raucous, unruly music played on a mixture of wooden and metal percussion instruments. Leto rolled sideways out of bed, pausing beside the window long enough to peek out into the single street.
Sernai wasn’t a town like any she’d lived in before. Instead, a single long stretch of gravel road traced the coastline, connecting various small homes and the occasional wealthy estate or resort. Her own was distinctly more of the former than the latter, built of driftwood and the remains of an old ship that washed up on the shore long ago. She didn’t even have glass in the windows.
But when you lived in a place like Sernai, you didn’t really need it. Every day was sunshine, every night a celebration—but only once a year did the narrow road pack so full of visitors and onlookers. Hundreds of colorful canvas tents surrounded the road on both sides, all in a similar boxy design. Many had oversized banners hanging out front, proudly proclaiming the origin of various racers and competitors.
Leto didn’t need a ladder, not since the advancement had left her with gecko-stick hands and feet. A thin tail gave her balance as she hopped down to the ground floor, twisting her fingers just right to let herself slide without falling. Then she was off, through the empty space of her kitchen.
She owned almost nothing—just a space to crash and stash a few snacks, really. Only one possession had any meaning to her—her spellboard. Unlike the ramshackle contents of her home, salvaged from whatever scrap visitors and the sea gave her, the spellboard was a thing of beauty. Wavy silver and purple hardwood laminated together around a tiny float core, itself more valuable than everything she owned combined.
Leto went over it with a fist-sized hunk of wax, sliding the soft material into every opening, until it caught the light streaming in through her open window.
Outside, the low roar of music rose with the tide, along with the magically-amplified voice of a distant announcer. “Last call for Spellboard qualifiers! Get to the black flag and line up!”
She gripped the hook beside her board, removing it carefully. She caught the board by the edge, letting it start to drift upward and carry her with it. But there wasn’t even a door in her way—just a length of woven cloth, and she was out onto the street.
Hundreds packed the road, dressed casually in a wide variety of swimsuits. Most trended towards modern earth designs, brought by recent emigrants. That meant an uninterrupted view of the incredible diversity of the Advancement—spots, stripes, scales, and all.
Then she was at the starting line, her heart pounded like a drum against her ribs. Half a hundred visitors and tourists had joined the race, a different group every year. But her eyes were only for Elara, her rival. She glanced sideways, locking eyes with the pink-haired spellboarder. Her rival smirked, flipping her a rude gesture. Leto returned it with enthusiasm.
The horn sounded, and Leto felt a surge of energy pulsate from the spell-etched tattoos on her arms as she pushed off the starting platform. Around her, her fellow racers sprang into action, their spell-boards catching the light as they sprang to life. The noise of the crowd became a distant roar as she focused on the path ahead.
Elara was already off with a flash of pink hair and silver magic, her spell-board humming beneath her as she swiftly took the lead. Leto’s eyes narrowed in determination. This was it; no more practice, no more second-guessing. She let her instincts take over, her spell-board zipping beneath her, the wind rushing past, the world a blur of color and sound.
The first jump loomed. Elara took it with grace and ease, her spell-board flickering like quicksilver beneath her. Leto hit the ramp a second later, bracing for the impact on the other side. To her left, a tourist squealed with surprise as his board floated past him. He struck the water, vanishing into the surf.
Leto came down hard, the impact briefly overwhelming the little lift crystal in her board. The board struck against water, threatening to throw her. Her bare feet gripped hard, barely holding her in place. The crowd erupted in applause, and adrenaline pumped through her veins. She could do this.
But Elara was not one to be outdone. With a smirk, she pressed her advantage, and Leto watched as the girl accelerated directly into an oncoming wave. Her board wobbled, barely cresting the wave before it broke in a crash of spray around them. The spectators went wild, and Elara’s smirk widened.
The race continued, Elara always a hair’s breadth ahead, her control and skill evident. But Leto was not discouraged. She navigated the spell-infused platforms with a focus and determination that came from hours of practice and the unwavering belief in her abilities. She was close enough to Elara to see the first sign of doubt flicker across the other girl’s face.
Emboldened, Leto decided it was time to use her new discipline. She threw her hands out, and a surge of energy pulsed from her fingertips, wrapping her spell-board in a shimmering cocoon of water. Liquid sprayed backward from her like a hydrofoil, flinging away another racer who got too close.
Elara glanced back at her, surprise evident on her face, but Leto ignored her. Instead, she focused on the loop, channeling her magic into her spell-board, feeling it respond beneath her feet. With a yell, she launched herself into the air, her spell-board twisting and turning beneath her in a dazzling flash of light.
The world seemed to pause as she completed the loop, the crowd silent in awe. Then, as she landed gracefully back on the water, the crowd erupted into deafening applause.
But there was no time to hear it. Elara was closing in, her face determined. The end was in sight. Leto crouched low, shrinking herself for the wind. Her bun came undone, and her short hair streamed behind her, joining the water cascading off her board.
Then she was over the finish line, Elara only a split second behind her. The cheers of the crowd filled her ears as she slowed, her heart pounding in her chest.
This year, Sernai would have a new champion.
As the heat of summer settles over Elenia, the air itself seems to quiver in anticipation. The sea turns a shade of cobalt, mirroring the vibrancy of the sky above and promising an equally vibrant celebration below. Vestalia has arrived! With it, the streets, squares, and sandy beaches of Sernai explode into a cornucopia of activity.
As day breaks, spell-boarding enthusiasts take to the air, their levitating boards drawing trails of shimmering light over the surf. On the sands, the aqua-conjurers are hard at work, the water responding to their command. With their discipline, water forms into a myriad of shapes: a frolicking dolphin, a majestic sea serpent, an intricate lacework of sea flowers; limited only by the practitioner’s imagination.
A waft of mouthwatering aroma interrupts the visual delight. Elenian cuisine takes a magical twist during Vestalia. Glitter Eclairs, pastries filled with luminescent cream that sparkles with dusts of glowstone, pile high on bakery shelves. The Frothy Ambrosia, a bubbly drink that tastes like summer and sunshine in a glass, reveals shifting tastes that twist and intertwine as they reflect the drinker’s mood.
As the sun begins to set, the spirit of Vestalia remains undimmed. The echoes of laughter mingle with the rhythmic lullaby of the waves. Vestalia is not merely a summer festival; it's a celebration of youth and the wild magic that is the essence of life in Elenia. Though all on Middara are ageless, it is the joy of living in the moment that makes one immortal.
As always, thank you for the support. We're not stoked on the delays, but things are moving and Wave 2 will be epic!
