Exalted Vales - Guide to the Vales & Favorable Skies

Pledge manager & Progress
about 2 years ago – Wed, Jul 10, 2024 at 08:18:31 PM

Hello Wayfarers!

Pledge manager
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Excellence in English
Part of making Exalted Vales into a series of books also meant reviewing the original book in the series, now titled Guide to the Vales.
Enter: Dee. Our proofreader for Favorable Skies and the 2nd edition of Exalted Vales, Guide to the Vales.
As a longtime player and dungeon master for Dungeons & Dragons, she brings with her a vast amount of knowledge and experience (along with a very particular fine eye for details!).

Throughout the Kickstarter campaign, Dee has been tough at work addressing, updating and re-reviewing to bring Guide to the Vales to the best it can be, and the changes definitely show. In many places, we were actually looking at full copy-editing, rather than basic proofreading, in order to bring Guide to the Vales up to the quality we know you all deserve.

General progress
The proofreading of Guide to the Vales is done at 50%.
The writing of Favorable Skies is done at 90%.
Concept arts are turning into illustrations (we'll share some of them along the way).
We're really confident we'll - as planned - finish everything before the end of the year!

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Salutations arpenteurs !

Backerkit 
Backerkit ouvre ses portes ! Pour choisir de nouvelles récompenses, vous procurer des récompenses complémentaires ou pour renseigner vos informations pour la livraison. Le courriel devrait bientôt atterir dans votre boite de reception.

Progrès général 
L'écriture de Cieux Favorables est réalisée à 90%.
Les croquis se transforment en illustrations (nous en partagerons quelques-unes en cours de route). 
Nous sommes toujours confiants que nous allons - comme prévu - tout terminer avant la fin de l'année !

Funded!
about 2 years ago – Thu, May 30, 2024 at 09:42:41 AM

Wayfarers, we did it!

Thank you to each and every one of you for backing our project and making Favorable Skies and the 2nd edition of Guide to the Vales an amazing reality.

It's been a busy four weeks and we're glad you came along for the ride!

So What's Next?

For now, we'll be taking a few days to recover from the excitement and then will be posting updates as we enter each new phase of the design and production process. Kickstarter will begin collecting funds and this should be finalized within the next 10 days. If you experience any trouble, please reach out to us to let us know so we can follow up with you. Thank you so very much again for helping us achieve ever greater heights.

We'll soon see you under the banners of Peronia,
Renaud & Team

65k Stretch Goal Reached and Final Hours
about 2 years ago – Thu, May 30, 2024 at 01:33:44 AM

Morning Wayfarers!

Just a quick update here as it's been a whirlwind of activity in these last 48 hours:
- We've smashed through our 65k stretch goal for new Feats shortly after our last update
- We are now sitting just under 6k from our last stretch goal for the Ranger archetype, Child of the Stars

There are only a few more hours left, so please help us share the Kickstarter if you haven't already.

We can't wait to see you on the other side,

Renaud & Team

24 Hours Left!
about 2 years ago – Wed, May 29, 2024 at 07:22:22 AM

Hello Wayfarers!

With only a few hours left in the campaign we are quickly sailing (like the Dareg people) towards the finish line! We are thisclose to reaching 65k and new feats being added into Favorable Skies! We know we can make it to 75k and the new Ranger Archetype, Child of the Stars. So share with your friends and online so we can add even more into Favorable Skies.

For this update we have not one, but two sneak peeks for you. So read on and thank you once more for being the fantastic backers you are!

Sneak Peek: The Dareg People and Ramgrah
Deep within the desert, far away from the cities and structures, amongst the rocks and butter-soft shifting sands you can find them: the Dareg. Fiercely independent and isolationist, these nomadic clans of hunters are the only ones who would dare to attack the immense and deadly sand stars. Given the nature of the Dareg's drifting communities, some clans specialize in exploration, but only a rare few resort to piracy for their survival.

The drifting community is where you'll find their children and elderly, those unfit for the faster board-travel along the sands and brief sojourns on rocky outcrops in bivouacs. If you catch a glimpse of them, it'll be here, standing proud with their shields at their sides, their complex arrangements of clothing billowing in the wind as the sun, sky and sand surround them.

It is this same clothing that acts like sails, allowing the wearer to use the winds to their advantage while sailing along the dunes. Their shields are of no armorer, but provided by the land herself... from the fierce Ramgrah. You see, Ramgrah scales have the unique property of repelling the fine sands of the desert. When used as a board, the shield smoothly glides along the sand as if floating, allowing the Dareg to traverse the vast landscape, their clothing catching the wind and vastly increasing their speed.

And the Fierce Ramgrah?
Let's just say you don't want to be caught between it's massive mandibles when it's hungry and you're on the menu. These creatures roam the burning deserts for their food or mates, undulating through the sand as if it were air. When smaller, they are more easily handled (or outrun). Yet they don't stay small forever, and the fully grown Ramgrah are terrifying giants of alacrity and terror if they set upon you.

                                                     Beware the Ramgrah...

Sneak Peek: More Small Boons
Our second sneak peek focuses on the Small Boons cards, their versatility, and three of the extra cards you helped us add by crashing through our stretch goals;

We've talked about a few of their uses before, but the Small Boons cards haven't finished revealing all the facets of their versatility.  

- When your players search places full of strange alchemy. (The Alchemist's Laboratory)
- When they have supernatural encounters. (Meeting the Unicorn)
- When they touch things they shouldn't touch - but you are nice GM. (Drink from an Enchanted Fountain)

But the list does not end there, the cards can be used:
- To represent a magician whose magic is becoming chaotic. So he and his allies glean an ability from a card.
- Is your barbarian player taking the time in combat to roleplay while shouting in the glory of their gods? Give them a card as the blood-red moon smiles upon them.
- A strange magic weapon has been found granting a magical ability in the form of a Small Boons card to its bearer.
- A vampire has been cursed and upon its slaying a boon has been granted to the player who struck down this mighty foe.

The list of uses depends only on your imagination and the scenarios you write!

Another project with only a few hours left!
Epic campaigns start with extraordinary villains. This 5e supplement contains 12 unique villains and factions to disrupt your world and challenge your players.
Topple governments. Raze Civilizations. Unbalance the Planes. Each Villain comes with an in-depth backstory and motives to give them depth. Their factions and resources give them tools to endanger your world, and player backstory connections get your players involved in ways they never imagined.

48 hrs Left!
about 2 years ago – Tue, May 28, 2024 at 07:30:34 AM

Hello Wayfarers!

We're in the last few days of the campaign, and it's an exciting time! We've blasted through many stretch goals and cannot wait to get the final products into your hands! For today's sneak peek, we're back in Peronia from Favorable Skies with the city of Leannaros and the most famous organization from the region, The Diffuse Column!

Let's get into it...
The stately capital of Tarios County, Leannaros has been built upon the side of the Low Land cliff, which evenly divides the city into two: upper town and lower town. And given the massive structure of this cliff, all activity and trade is concentrated around it.
In the lower town, with the river Borne flows, you'll find a vast variety of businesses along the banks, each working hard to bear the river's waters up the steep cliff to the upper town. Employees, visitors, the sturdy pack animal Dircus Ibexes, and even locals can be found carrying sacks of water ever upwards.

Here are just a sample of the businesses you and your players will find here as you explore the city:
- Visit the rickety Volunteers' Staircase to gain easy access between the lower and upper towns. If you carry some water you'll even earn a few coins for your effort.
- The Big Screw is not to be missed as is turns endlessly to raise water up the cliffside.
- Even more impressive is the Enchanted River. Maintained round the clock, magicians keep up the delicate enchantments that allows a fair chunk of the river Dorne to be raised aloft. Up, and up, and up, until it crests over the cliff edge.

As impressive as the city and it's business around the cliff and river. It's the golden yellow sands that flow like water from the skies above. Each day, tons of sand pours forth from the heavens, where centuries ago, Or Leanna struck down the Dark Mentor with her blade. So vicious and sharp of a cut that she sliced clean through the Tapestry itself, unleashing the yellow from it's Thousand Threads!

The Yellow Waterfall, as it's come to be known, is easily seen from a distance and has also brought new industry to the city and surrounding region of Peronia. The Diffuse Column, a relatively small organization at the time, built up the gigantic complex you now see today. At more than 2,000 square feet a side over ten floors, you'll find temples, gardens, workshops and even factories dedicated to the pressing question: How do we deal with all of this yellow sand?

Here the Diffuse Column offers a variety of magical services, products, and even assistance to those in Leannaros and the surrounding villages and towns. While Traders and other major players must buy the products, the Diffuse Column is adament that for the people, all services and products must be free. Of particular interest here is the enchanted Menagerie. An entire wing of the temple, dedicated exclusively to housing enchanted animals such as the elusive white deer. The magical nature of these creatures must be seen to be believed!

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Bonjour Arpenteurs !

Voici venir les derniers jours de la campagne ! On a atteint de nombreux objectifs et on a hâte de mettre les produits finaux entre vos mains !
Pour l'aperçu d'aujourd'hui, nous sommes de retour en Péronie, la région des Cieux Favorables, avec la ville de Leannaros et l'organisation la plus célèbre de la région : la Colonne Diffuse !

Allons-y...

Leannaros, capitale majestueuse du comté de Tarios, a été construite à même une falaise, qui divise la ville en deux : la ville haute et la ville basse.

Dans la ville basse, le fleuve Borne arrive au pied de la falaise. Et la ville doit travailler en permanence pour empêcher la région d'être inondée ! Il faut monter toute l'eau du fleuve jour et nuit. De fait, on trouve une grande variété d'entreprises le long des berges, chacune travaillant dur pour transporter l'eau du fleuve jusqu'à la ville haute.

Voici juste un échantillon des moyens mis en oeuvre :
- Visitez l'escalier branlant des volontaires - pour voyager de la ville basse à la ville haute. Si vous transportez de l'eau, vous gagnerez même quelques pièces pour vos efforts.
- La Grande Vis est à ne pas manquer, elle tourne sans fin pour faire monter l'eau jusqu'en haut de la falaise.
- La rivière enchantée est encore plus impressionnante. Des magiciens entretiennent les délicats enchantements qui permettent de faire couler une bonne partie du fleuve Dorne à la verticale.

Aussi impressionnant que la ville et ses affaires autour de la falaise, ce sont les sables jaune doré qui coulent comme l'eau du ciel. Chaque jour, des tonnes de sable jaillissent des cieux, où, il y a des siècles, Or Leanna a frappé le Mentor Noir avec sa lame. Une frappe si violente et si nette qu'elle a tranché la tapisserie elle-même, libérant le jaune de ses mille fils !

La Cascade Jaune, comme on l'appelle désormais, a permis le dévelopemment d'une nouvelle industrie pour la ville et à la région environnante. La Colonne Diffuse, une organisation relativement petite à l’époque, a construit le gigantesque complexe d'aujourd’hui. Sur plusieurs centaines de kilomètres carrés et presque dix étages, vous trouverez des temples, des jardins et surtout des ateliers dédiés à la question pressante : comment gérer tout ce sable jaune ?

Ici, la Colonne Diffuse offre une variété de services, de produits magiques et même une assistance aux habitants de Leannaros et des villages et villes environnants. Si les commerçants et autres acteurs majeurs doivent acheter les produits, la Colonne Diffuse reste fidèle à ses principes : pour le petit peuple, tous les services et produits sont gratuits. 
La Ménagerie enchantée est une autre étrangeté du temple qui attire beaucoup de voyageurs. Une aile entière du temple, dédiée exclusivement à l'hébergement d'animaux enchantés - comme l'insaisissable cerf blanc. Il faut voir la nature magique de ces créatures pour le croire ! Nul ne sait d'où viennent ces animaux enchantés, ils apparaissent simplement dans la Ménagerie. Et la plupart sont à vendre.