There were a number of project milestones that we managed to unlock recently over at fig. Some of these are quite big and we are very excited to be able to work on them as they make the game better and deeper by what they bring to the table. Let's take a quick look at what is being developed currently:

Scorpions of all sizes, colors, and features plague the arid wastelands of the central continent of Xeryn, and most travelers are quite used to their presence and to the threat they may present. However, nobody is used to the presence of a Stinger Scorpion, this hulking yet frighteningly fast monster that hunts beasts and men during the cool night hours. Unfortunate souls may learn that while these solitary scorpions are inert during the day when they are buried under the sands, they are far from being safe around, as they can awaken with a sudden and fatal rage. There is a cunning viciousness about them that makes them far more than simply a large animal.

One of the last big additions to Vagrus' Open World Campaign that is now coming very close to being released is the character creation sequence at the start of the game. That is the feature that allows you to customize and set up your own vagrus by selecting a variety of options in subsequent steps. To give a quick idea of the many amazing options, here's a little rundown:

'What draws them to this place, I wonder. Is it the utter sadness that permeates this forsaken expanse? Does it call to them when they begin to feel the chill breath of death? Perhaps there is a wordless language spanning all species that speaks as the realm of Ahskul starts to beckon.'

The decision to add the small portraits of Companions to the steps of Events where they appear was an easy one: it added a lot of character to the texts and was an easy addition due to the portraits being derived from the already existing art assets (idle combat images of said Companions).

But then in true Lost Pilgrims fashion we felt that this could become so much more if ALL major NPCs received a similar portrait, or 'chat head' in Events and so we started producing a few to see what they looked like. Most of these were based on friends to honor two decades of roleplaying together and they turned out so cool that we decided to open these up for Backers and influencers as well. So if you want your mug in the game as one of the many NPCs, here's the chance. :)

'...came from the farthest reaches of the vast expanse of Arenas Vorax and upon their defeat at the hands of Imperial forces - aided by the Sadirar tribes and the Dark Elves of Katundar - they retreated into that unknowable land of voracious sands, never to be seen again.'

- Excerpt from the Imperial Chronicles Volume XII

Crew Combat is the most common way you will handle violent conflicts as you roam the wastelands of the Riven Realms. We wanted to give you a rundown of the basic concepts here so that those interested might find some insights.

Disposition

Each Crew Combat encounter identifies the two sides as either the Attacker or the Defender. The player's comitatus can typically be the attacker when they raid small settlements or prey upon other travelers, while they are often found as the defender when getting accosted by monsters, outlaws, or worse.

It was a long and difficult haul but as I am writing this, the new Crew Combat feature (in which you can have the whole comitatus fight against a more numerous foe) has been added to the game. To 'Pilgrims of the Wasteland', too, so you can run into all kinds of trouble while out among the dunes of Arenas Vorax in the latter part of the scenario.

You will come across many caverns and subterranean tunnels in Vagrus, mostly under cities or sometimes out in the wilderness. Whether these are the lairs of terrifying monsters, the shadowy hideouts of bandits, gateways to ancient, buried ruins, or simply hollow ground is usually difficult to tell at first. There is no specific lore or design insight to be delved into here, so the only thing that remains is to admire this version of the cavern illustration by Attus, one of our artists.