Mistfall: Sycra the Black Crusader

Today we continue the list of Mistfall biggest evildoers, introducing the one but last villainous boss enemy the players will face: Sycra, a fallen priestess.

Art by Enggar Adirasa

Sycra the Dawnbreaker 

Already at an early age Sycra would display the gifts bestowed by the Dawnmother upon those destined to serve her. Able to spontaneously call upon the Light of Dawn without any training from priests or Loremasters, Sycra became a bit of a problem for the clerics deciding her fate, as it seemed she displayed an aptitude for both healing, and striking down the servants of the Mists. Finally, taken in by the order of the Dawnbreakers she became a battlefield healer and a fierce foe of the nefarious Mists.

During the first few years she had spend in the Valskyrr, she also made some friends among the people of Frostvalley Keep, as she would eagerly accompany Shieldbearers into battle or on missions that would lead them deep into the territories of the undead. And although Frostvalley had an almost permanent Dawnbreaker resident, the Lord Commander would always welcome another bold warrior priestess, happily putting her unique abilities to work.

All changed during what seemed like yet another expedition against a band of brigands aided by a necromancer threatening a small fortified village in the northern Valskyrr. Ambushed in an already overrun settlement and surrounded by enemies, Sycra’s power failed her for the first time. Seeing Shieldbearers fall in battle around her, unable to properly protect or aid them, she reached further and more furiously than ever before. She called out - and something answered. But it was not the Dawnmother.

The Black Crusader 

The battle ended in a tragedy. Although Sycra suddenly gained the ability to smite her foes with a power she’d never seen before, she was still the only one to survive. Wounded and exhausted, unable to heal herself, and seemingly cut off from the Dawnmother, she wandered away further into the Mists, burned by fever and plagued by horrifying visions of great suffering, punishment and betrayal. 

Art by Enggar Adirasa

When she finally emerged from the Mists, her mind and heart were changed by the understanding of what the malicious power threatening the world truly was. And as she entered the first hold of the Blackwood lords, she already knew how to touch the hearts of the ruthless brigands, how to open their eyes to the truth she’d seen - and how to make those already touched by the Mists follow her. 

Although Sycra’s connection to the goddess Dawn seems forever severed, the priestess still exhibits the ability to heal her allies and smite her enemies, and a conviction as strong as before she was taken by the Mists. Seeking final retribution, she now leads a growing army of fanatics who had seen the same truth as she had, and if her Black Crusade is to be stopped, much more than the strength of arms will be needed. 

Sycra in the game 

In many ways, Sycra is a very different type of Special Enemy, as her power is partly a reflection of what the Dawnbreaker Cleric has at her disposal. When facing Sycra, players will have to make a few hard choices and adapt a clear approach to deal with her servants, remembering that simply eliminating them may not only prove more difficult, but also not the best course of action. 

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Mistfall: Maelgar the Abomination

The world of Mistfall is a perilous place, and the Mists can transform the both the righteous and the wicked. What happens when the ruinous might touches ones that were never pure? The story of Maelgar answers that question. 

Art by Enggar Adirasa

The Brigand Chief 

Nobody really knows where or when Maelgar was born, but most believe he spent his early years in the northern part of the Valskyrr, in a village long since wiped out by beastmen or brigands. Most probably sold into slavery as a child, he was one of the few youngsters who managed to survive long enough to win their freedom by spilling blood, or by proving too useful to a Blackwood lord or a crafty Ghoren warchief to simply be killed or sacrificed.

Maelgar most certainly did not belong to the latter category, as when he finally let himself be known to the Shieldbearers of Frostvalley Keep, it was not due to his intellect, but because of his cruelty and brutality rivalling those of the fierce beastmen blood hunters. And although some of the expeditions meant to bring Maelgar to justice where overseen by the Lord Commander himself, the brigand chief managed to fight his way out of every trap and finally either evade, or – more often – slay his pursuers.

The string of Maelgar’s victories made him a prominent figure with the Blackwood brigand lords, so prominent in fact, that more than one of them started scheming against him. However, it was none of them, but a young Frostvalley Loremaster by the name of Rahlfors, that finally managed to take him down. Leading a group of Shielbearers, Rahlfors found one of Maelgar’s treasure hoards, and knowing that the brigand chief would visit them only alone, he set a trap that finally ended Maelgar’s scourge.

Art by Enggar Adirasa

The Abomination 

The victory was short lived. A little over a year later reports came in of an abominable beast wreaking havoc on a territory Maelgar had used to consider his own before his demise. Shortly after, it turned out that it was Maelgar himself, brought back from the dead by the Mists and transformed into an abomination that seemed to have focused all his cruelty, his malice, and his insatiable hunger for blood.

Having murdered all his past subordinates and demonstrated a rage capable of destruction that would impress even the most Mist-crazed of the Ghoren warriors, Maelgar went on a further killing spree throughout the lands under the protection of Frostvalley Keep. Now, surrounded by a herd of undead – some of them his own comanions he’d killed, others merely his victims – he prepares to strike a mighty blow against Frostvalley Keep. 

From a handful of notes left by Rahlfors after his sudden departure, it seems that the former chief’s treasure hoards might contain powerful artefacts or at least answers that may help in defeating Maelgar once and for all. However, an ominous side note also mentions a strange ritual that may have not only been responsible for bringing Maelgar back, but might also imbue him with even more strength should he be opposed in battle. 

Maelgar in the game 

As many of the Special Enemies, Maelgar’s card is double-sided: with one side being his starting, already twisted form, and the other showing his further descent into becoming a raging minion of the Mists. Unlike other Enemies, Maelgar grows stronger when the card becomes flipped, and as Heroes come closer to their victory, they are also in greater peril of falling to his fury. So, with Malegar’s treasure hoards being spread across the land, and remembering his martial prowess and resilience, the right preparations are the key to surviving the battle against him. 

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Mistfall: The Frost Mage

The time has come to introduce the story of the final character that joined the ranks of the Heroes of Mistfall. Originally, the story has been published as on of the Updates of the still ongoing Mistfall Kickstarter campaign. 

Frost Mage by Enggar Adirasa

Dawn of the Frost Mages 

The Frost Mages are a product of an age old alliance between the eight tribes of Ravencrag and Frostvalley Keep. Before the alliance was forged, the tribes would occasionally send small war parties to raid on the territories under the protection of Skard Windbane, the Lord Commander of the Shieldbearers. These groups would often be supported by shamans wielding the power to command ice and snow, using the magic of cold as a weapon against their enemies. 

Windbane had fought the Ravencrag Furies and the wielders of the frost magic on multiple occasions, knowing full well that the Ravencrag people mostly worshipped the Nightfather, but also being certain of them being enemies of the Mists, so when a Shieldbearer patrol came back to the keep bearing news of a Ravencrag raid against the beastmen ending in a slaughter, and a beastman horde preparing to deal a final blow to the eight tribes, he decided to act immediately. 

Leading his Shieldbearers he came to the aid of Ravencrag, turning an almost certain defeat into a costly victory, but createing grounds to forge a lasting alliance. The Lord Commander’s bet paid off, as the eight tribes’ new Jarl formed a blood pact with Skard Windbane, forging an alliance that would last for over a century, serving both the people of Ravencrag and Frostvalley Keep. 

However, Windbane had one condition. Advised by his Loremasters he made it clear that the alliance would go on only as long as the boys exhibiting the talent to wield the power of the frost were properly schooled in the art of arcane magic, as uncontrolled use proved to twist their minds and open them to the corrupting influence of the Mists. The Jarl agreed somewhat begrudgingly, but agreed nonetheless, as those who survived the failed Ravencrag raid had already told him that the defeat was brought on not only by the numbers and the ferocity of the beastmen foes, but also by a sudden corruption and madness many of the shamans would fall victim to shortly after the Furies engaged the enemy. 

Hareag the Frost Mage 

Like all the boys that during their early teens reveal themselves to be the wielders of the frost magic talent, Hareag accompanied the Lord Commander of Frostvalley Keep on his way back home after his custmoray visit to meet the the new jarl of the eight tribes. After six months of being schooled by the Frostvalley Loremaster, he was shipped to Dathnafar to become a Frost Mage, his apprenticeship ending with the customary oath to oppose the Mists no matter which path (Dawn or Dusk) he chooses. 

After returning the the Valskyrr, Hareag wandered the cold wastes and the Deadlands for years, aiding Ravencrag Furies in their pursuits, and earning the respect that would make him an advisor to each of the jarls for the last sixteen years. He only recently resigned from the position and moved to Frostvalley Keep, the true reasons of this known only to a handful of those old enough to know his family’s history, or perceptive enough to see through Hareag’s motives. 

Regardless of any reasons Hareag might have had to relocate to Frostvalley Keep, he has quickly become a trusted ally and a well respected part of the questing company, as, despite his age, he decided not to continue advisory work, and instead become once again an active part of the struggle against the Mists.

Frost Staff by Enggar Adirasa

Hareag in the game 

The Frost Mage is an interesting and powerful twist on the already known Arcane Mage. Being less able to avoid battle or use the advantage of arcane fire against his enemies, he instead strikes at them with the cruel cold, not only able to attack them directly, but also weaken them before dealing the final blow. Did you like the story of Hareag? Share your thoughts and, as always, have a wonderful day! Błażej

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Mistfall: a Living World

As you are reading these words, we are coming closer and closer to the final 48 hours of Mistfall on Kickstarter, and things are getting hot once again. With 27 Stretch Goals unlocked, and a few surprises still up our sleeve, there is one thing I have not yet talked about, and it’s how the world of Mistfall was and is being built. 

Undead Loremaster by Enggar Adirasa

Kickstarting Mistfall was a completely new thing for me, although before we started, I had thought it would not be so surprising. I was working with NSKN Games at the time of the Progress: Evolution of Technology Kickstarter project, and by the time Exodus: Edge of Extinction launched, I had already been an official part of the NSKN team, so I thought that putting my own game on Kickstarter would not be such a new experience. Well, it turned out it was. 

I already wrote about the truly incredible community building around Mistfall, but I’ve not yet mentioned how surprised I was with the reception of not just the game, but also the Mistfall universe, with its characters, its stories and all of its lore. As I was publishing my vision of Valskyrr with its heroes and villains on this blog, I could feel a certain level of interest, but that had not made me ready for what was yet to come. 

I’m a gamer who started of with Talisman (well, this Talisman, to be exact), then wandered off into the realms of Role Playing Games for a good few years, only to come back to serious board gaming after some time, to discover how far it had gone. And still, even becoming fascinated with European style games, I would look closely at a game’s theme, and I would always be interested in the world it would build for me to dwell in as I played. 

As I started constructing the world of Mistfall, I thought that it was a perfect opportunity to make my own fantasy universe, one that would suit my fancies, and perhaps interest a handful of people who are as much into the game fluff as I’ve always been. I knew that the game needs some strong characters and a threatening, overarching enemy, but I also thought that not many people would be keen on following the stories I wrote so closely. Yet again, I was surprised.

Stunning Hammer by Enggar Adirasa

Before launching Mistfall on Kickstarter, world-building was almost a distraction. Although I would construct Heroes and Enemies with the vision of my universe in mind, I was also almost certain that some of the intricacies and interactions would remain visible only to me. The main goal was to make a consistent world for the players to adventure in, with making it original and interesting more of a personal quest than an actual design goal. 

And here the fans and backers yet again managed to teach me something about fantasy gaming: we are all more alike than we think, and this shared hobby of ours, this common love for defined visions of the worlds we will visit with every game makes us truly a fellowship of like minded individuals. 

Fellstalker by Enggar Adirasa

So thank you all for that valuable lesson - and now you can be sure that the world of Mistfall will grow and expand, so that we can all visit it together with Mistfall, with the Kickstarter lore updates, with blog posts and with any other game set in the Mistfall universe we ever publish. Thank you, and see you all in Valskyrr. 

Just to finish off, let me give you a collection of links that will allow you to find all of the stories: 

The basic four Heroes, the world creation and the Enemies can be found on the NSKN Blog or on the NSKN Games website. 

You can also find some extra stories in the following Kickstarter Updates: 

• Ardenai the Arcaneweave Archer 
• Venda the Ravencrag Fury 
• Rahlfors the Waychanger 
• Karnas the Betrayer 
• Sigraed the Lady of Mistflame

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The Resolve of Mistfall

A few months ago one of my playtesters, after performing a very impressive combo that led to his Shieldbearer eliminating two rather nasty enemies, stated that it’s a shame there are no individual rewards for monster slaying – and asked if I could modify that rule, so that there is an incentive for players to do more killing. I shook my head and told him what I am about to tell you.

Art by Enggar Adirasa.

Mistfall is a game of management. You manage your hand, you manage your deck, you manage your discard pile. You try to manage the level of Enemy Focus you are forced to put on your Hero whenever you’re doing some doing heroic stuff. You also manage Resolve, a resource generated mostly by eliminating Enemies, that allows you to develop your Hero – and that is stored in one common pool, for any player to draw from and use to buy new Feats.

So why is there a common pool, if the Mage does more killing than the Cleric? The question actually includes the answer: because the Mage does more killing than the Cleric. And the Cleric is protecting and healing the Mage, making sure that the exhausted spellcaster does not fall victim to a new wave of fresh Enemies, or to the main villain (like Karnas the Betrayer depicted here).

Mistfall is a game about managing, but it’s also a game about sharing. It’s about deciding that the Resolve generated by the Seeker’s killing blow will be immediately used up by the Shieldbearer, allowing him to protect the Mage from a crippling blow in a moment of weakness. Or it will be used by the Cleric, who used to be focused on healing, but with a new Advanced Feat will now suddenly be ready to deal with some of the undead threatening the whole party.

So, there are no individual Resolve rewards – all goes into a single pool. All the tokens stay there until you, as a group, decide that it it’s the time for one of you to acquire the card that will allow you all to overcome a previously insurmountable obstacle – and persevere. This allows every individual player to make their own propositions on which character to improve and how. This also allows everyone to participate in the overall party development, building a feeling of a fellowship and creating an option to synergize even beyond combinations of cards, actions and in-game effect – making Mistfall a truly cooperative experience.

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Mistfall Rogues Gallery: The Living Dead

Today we continue the story of the Mistfall enemies and evildoers - adding just a small reminder that the game is right now being funded on Kickstarter.

When the first news of the dead rising reached the more civilized human lands, they were disregarded as mere tales spun by those, who would seek to profit from spreading fear – or those deeply traumatized by their first encounter with the Mists. The truth turned out to be more horrifying, and soon humanity had to face an enemy unlike any of the ones that had stood against it before.

Art by Enggar Adirasa

The Mindless and the Malicious

All those who met the undead know that the backbone of their hordes comprises of skeletal warriors and zombies – slow walking corpses, easy to run away from, but not as easy to kill. But believing that all the undead are exactly that: methodical but slow and shambling could be a mistake that would lead a careless adventurer to eventually joining their ranks.

As the Mists seem to be able to raise any man and any creature from the dead, their reanimated servants range in scope and abilities. Those who would face this scourge on a regular basis know very well, that skeletal hands can handle a bow and that the slow approach of the rotting walkers is often preceded by a vicious attack of a pack of vampiric hounds.

As creatures of the Mists, some undead are able to wield bagic, and whoever glanced at least once into the eye sockets of a skeletal mage knows, that an inhuman, malicious intelligence is also a gift the Mists would bestow upon its once dead servants.

Undead in the Game

Some of the undead enemies are surprisingly tough for their skeletal or rotting frame – and it should come as no surprise, as those who had once died are now animated by the power of the Mists and not by vital organs that can be targeted to deal more damage. For that reason, it is always good to find a way to make use of their primal weakness – as almost all undead will be easier to overcome using fire or divine powers.

The undead are not only tough, but can also be surprisingly diverse, able to strike fast, call upon the power of a dark rage or heal their wounds after successfully dealing out punishment to Heroes. For that reason, players should never disregard the slower undead or those that deal less damage, as they have a tendency to slowly but inevitably swarm the Heroes to deprive them of their lives.

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Mistfall: Not a Zombie

I’ve been a long standing fan of JourneyQuest, an independently created video web series about a group of somewhat unlikely adventurers trying to complete a heroic quest of utmost important. I like to come back to some of the episodes now and again, which usually ends in me watching the whole series start to finish

JourneyQuest is a deeply amusing indulgence, and some say that you will get the most of it if you are or have been a gamer – specifically: a role player – because it uses a lot of the tropes most often observed in role playing games. From the cast of characters and villains, through the main plot to some of the absurd but endearing quirks of its world, all seems to be borrowed from a role playing game.

Most certainly a zombie by Enggar Adirasa

When designing Mistfall (a game we are currently Kickstarting), I would also borrow – and I would borrow a lot, since I have been and partly still am a role player. I built the characters thinking about the well known classes and roles they would fill within a party of adventurers. I made them “handle” similarly. I made sure that if you like casting spells – from powerful blasts to small tricks – you will feel right at home with the Arcane Mage. I made the Shieldbearer a simple to use warrior. I made the Dawnbreaker Cleric a healer and destroyer of the undead. The Seeker - your basic rogue if you like - is sneaky and handy with the dagger. You probably get the gist now.

What I also did, was make sure that Mistfall plays well with people who did not or would not have anything to do with role playing games. Every building block added to the game, every Enemy or Feat, was crafted both with theme and playability in mind. It was supposed to invoke a specific feeling, but still remain a cerebral experience which (with the addition of fully deterministic combat and despite all the trappings of Dungeons and Dragons or Warhammer) would first and foremost build a board game a board game. And a damn good one, if I may say so myself.

I’ve seen people who would not be caught dead playing an RPG have fun with Mistfall – just as much as those who spent years crawling through dungeons. So, Mistfall is not an RPG. JourneyQuest is not a game. And Carrow is not a zombie.

And yet, it’s all so much fun.

Oh, one more thing: if you’ve not seen JourneyQuest yet, do yourself a favour and go watch it now. If this can get a chuckle out of Andrei (the least probable person to play an RPG in this century), it can sure as hell get a chuckle out of you.

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