Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Release 109 goes live December 15th at 10:30 AM CST.

Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 109 (R109), we offer a hidden Obsidian valley behind a maze of tunnels in Vikland.

For those wishing to participate in any community activities, upcoming one-time and recurring community events have been announced! Be sure to also review the Player Guide and Known Issues for additional information on recent changes and upcoming fixes.

News Announcements

Community Updates

Explore Vikland’s Obsidian Valley!

Hagen’s personal tragedy has left a mystery: the most intrepid Avatars exploring Vikland can now solve the puzzle of the Obsidian Cave and venture into the tunnels beyond the locked door. The most clever and resilient ones will make their way completely through the catacombs and enter into a mysterious Obsidian Valley.

Elevator in the tunnels under Vikland

A View Across the Obsidian Valley

New Treasure-Hunting Trophies

Ravalox has made a shiny new set of trophies for treasure-hunting contests! Details on requesting them for your events are here.

Differently-colored treasure chests spinning on pedestals

Release 109 Patch Notes

Below are a list of the updates that are live as of Release 109 in the game of Shroud of the Avatar! R109 is a polish month. Content, additional improvements, and bug fixes are inbound for R110 next month. We hope you enjoy the changes that are live today as of Release 109!

Crafting, Decoration, & Inventory Item Changes:

Garbage Bins: The hint for using these items will now only appear in NPC towns. Fixed an issue to stop question marks appearing at the start and end of the hint message.
Swapped stats between Legendary and Epic Belts of Control.

Combat & Skill Changes:

Body Slam, Charge, and Engage Opponent will no longer show as clickable when targeting an unmovable object like a plant or a training dummy. The running animation won’t loop when targeting something out of sight; you might still see “you hit nothing” if your target moved out of range before you used the skill. SOTA-68230
Fixed a typo in the text for Golden Bird Trick displayed in chat.
Fixed incorrect gold cost on Elixir Receptive skill. SOTA-70919
Fixed missing xp reward meticulous collection of coconuts and pumpkins. SOTA-70772
Reduced natural attack speed of crocodile, though they are still faster than most tamed pets. SOTA-70920

User Interface, Store Information, & Lua Changes:

There is now a new emote hotbar which can be displayed vertically (default) or horizontally. Added two checkboxes in Options in the Interface section to display it and to make it horizontal. Added a keybind in the Controls section to toggle it on/off: “Toggle Emote Hotbar.” Added a checkbox in the Emote window to directly show the emote bar without going through options.
Added missing pants and shoes to the Black Pinstriped Tuxedo bundle in the store.
Fix for starter feedback showing up when quitting before loading into the game.
Fixed blurry image for 2015 Yule Tree Store entry.
Lua will no longer show up in character appearance.
Status bar, pet, and target will now be saved where they were left on the screen when moveable status is enabled in options.
When sending a mail, the recipient choice list will now filter as you type. Fixed the scrollbar not showing up when you open that mail window the first time.

World and Quest Changes:

Aldwater, Endurance, Forewind, Port Titan, and Taenby Landing: Fixed an issue where the new “Hunters’ Island” compass marker discovery wasn’t appearing.
Ecology Researchers: Added extra logic to help auto-archive the “Talk to Magic Shop Owner” task when complete. SOTA-70954
Forest Tree Curtains: Adjusted a setting to stop the backdrop from appearing black at long distances.
Helpful Automaton: Updated and added some responses.
Seasonal Monsters: Updated the timed event trigger day to be on the 16th of the triggering month instead of the first. (For all the rest of them as Krampus was adjusted last month.) SOTA-69911
Smashable containers with items inside that it would be stealing to take are now recognized as stealing. SOTA-70941
Snow is now enabled in all scenes with normal skies.
Town Criers that cannot offer mail delivery now have a better “mail” response. SOTA-70990
Aerie: Fixed a typo in the “Collect Order of Truth Armor” task. SOTA-71001
Ardoris: Fixed a typo in the “Tell Godbert of Cugel’s Reaction” task. SOTA-70965
Blackblade Foothills: Added collision to the walls of the large tents. Removed canvases from wagons. Updated colors to some lean-tos. Added sand effect to many crates, wood platforms, and wagons. SOTA-70976
Blood River Forest: Updated the fish hatchery discoveries with targets and names that are more accurate. SOTA-70988
Castle Atos: Added several Cleanliness Elementals and associated responses from the locals.
Castle Atos: Fixed yule tree showing up along with fountain.
Castle Atos: Improved collision along castle walls. Updated the structure behind the castle.
Castle Atos: Removed an invisible blocker near the castle. Moved the spawning location of a horse that spawned too far from home. SOTA-70940, SOTA-70939
Highvale Outskirts: Fixed a typo in Esmeralda’s responses. Moved oddly-placed ore node. Adjusted loot in “frostgeist victim camp” chest. Small ice spider now provides crystal loot instead of normal spider loot, similar to other ice creatures. SOTA-70955, SOTA-70957, SOTA-70952, SOTA-70951
Highvale Outskirts: Renamed the default spawn location to “Monastery Guard Post.” SOTA-70933
Jack of Diamonds: Updated the dialogue for the bouncers to add more virtue-specific responses.
Kingsport: Added compass marker discovery for the town crier. SOTA-70964
Manor of Mystery: Fixed the sitting positions for NPCs who use setees in this scene and throughout the game. SOTA-70953
Middle Downs: Fixed several navmesh issues. SOTA-70968, SOTA-70969
Norgard Fens: Rain should no longer fall through the ceiling of the “mushroom lab.” SOTA-70942
North Valeway: Adjusted some spiderwebs to better visually attach to trees. SOTA-70989
Owl’s Head: Improved the logic related to Todd’s responses and the “Discredit Myra” task. SOTA-70980
Ruins of Ravensmoor: Moved floating spider eggs to the floor. SOTA-70967
Solace Bridge: Removed a redundant default spawn-in target. SOTA-70966
Solania Catacombs: Veteru has more appropriate responses when talking about his own name. SOTA-70992
South Broken Road: Replaced a standard archer bandit with a plunderer variant. Reorganized plunderer spawners. SOTA-70938
South Drachvald Spur: Adjusted spawning for Razorback Destroyers (now minimum 3, proabably 4-5, maximum 6 boars). Added crumbling stone walls and compass marker to help players identify the “boar-filled woods” area with the high-threat boars. Updated scene as Tier 2+.
South Midmaer Way: Added a few salt resource nodes around the lake. SOTA-70943
South Midmaer Way: Moved an ore node with odd accessibility across the road to a different rock wall. SOTA-70931
Verdantis Mines: Switched the gender of one of the types of elves that spawn.
Vertas: It should no longer snow through the roof of the small homes. Added or replaced some generic props with elf versions, such as streetlights. SOTA-70935
Vikland: Added a missing compass marker asset.
Vikland: Updated collision on a guard tower in the village. SOTA-70872
Vikland: Added Erica’s Amulet quest. SOTA-70792
Vikland: Fixed a typo in one of Erling’s responses.
Vikland: Added a switch to open the locked door by the Pale One when on the far side of the door.
Vikland: Added wolf spiders to wave battle and throughout area. Updated spawn groups, terrain, and flora. “Pale one” kobolds are now pale like their comrades. SOTA-70790
Vikland: Fixed typos in Erling’s responses. Fixed bad position of the orange crystal lock. Removed repairable barrier and teleporter doors on back wall from Obsidian Valley. Removed scroll on seasonal monster.
Vikland: In tunnels to valley, fixed a misaligned tunnel. Flattened terrain inside an Obsidian ladder tower. Blocked precipitation from happening in the tunnels that lead to the valley. Increased frequency of Vikland Crystals as loot from Enduring Pale Ones. Avatars can now hold up to 3 of each Vikland Crystals in their inventory and crystals of the same color will stack with one another. Corrected errors in Erling’s responses. Fixed compass markers related to using the Obsidian Cave statues. SOTA-70993, SOTA-70994, SOTA-70997, SOTA-70999, SOTA-70987, SOTA-70985, SOTA-70984, SOTA-70986
Vikland: Modified the traps used by a wave battle. SOTA-70790
Vikland: Updated wave battle logic and fixed related trap delays. SOTA-70790
Yew: All items are now protected by the anti-theft system. SOTA-70946
Yew: Fixed typos in the “Mention Rune Bag to Pendro” journal entry. SOTA-70944

Player-Owned Town Changes:

CICI’s Bazaar: Added new POT west of Brittany.
Crafter’s Town and Ironhall: Removed temporarily-recreated POTs.
Duanor: Upgraded to City.
Moonshine District: Added new POT south of Brittany.
Novia Market: Changed to a new owner.
Umbra Regnum: Upgraded to Village.

R109 Map of Novia POTs

Latest News and Q&A December Livestream

The post-release Community Livestream is Friday, December 16th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris “Atos” Spears and other members of the development team for a 1-hour community livestream!

To enter the prize drawings, type “here’s to the future” into any in-game chat channel OR make a purchase on the website Add-On Store.

Please submit questions using in-game universal chat by typing “askadev” before your question. We’ll do our best to answer these questions live on the stream. Watch on Twitch, Friday at 4PM CT!

Atos and other members of the Shroud of the Avatar development team stream on twitch.tv/shroudoftheavatar — be sure to get the channel on follow for notifications so you can join us right as we go live! Also, if you’ve missed our latest streams, check out our archive of content at our YouTube Channel. Like! Follow! Subscribe! Prizes!!!

Don’t forget to also join the Shroud of the Avatar team and community over at all our social media venues:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShroudoftheAvatar/
Catnip Games Twitter: https://twitter.com/catnipgames
Shroud of the Avatar Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShroudofAvatar
Shroud of the Avatar Discord: https://discord.gg/shroudoftheavatar

Sales and Bonus Events

These sales and bonuses will be in place through January 2nd:

Double XP
Crown Store Sales 30% off
Deed Upgrades 20% off
Crowns of the Obsidians 20% off
Holdfast POT 20% off
POT Upgrades via COTOs 20% off
(Contact support to initiate a POT upgrade and pay with COTOs)

Release 109 Subscriber Login Rewards

Light it up literally and figuratively! The Rewards Program login items for Release 109 are a pair of Ankh Party Hats and a pair of Triple-Horned Candles!

Ankh Party Hat

Triple-Horned Candles

Subscribers to the Rewards Program must log in during Release 109 to receive these special login items.

The Shroud of the Avatar Rewards Program lets you earn the best rate on purchasing Crowns, AND receive monthly reward items! For the low price of $9 USD per month you will receive the following:

900 Crowns of the Obsidians every month
Monthly Login Reward Items (about 3 per month)
Exclusive Title every 3 months
- 3 Months: Keeper of the Faith
- 6 Months: Keeper of the Word
- 9 Months: Keeper of the Vow
- 12 Months: Keeper of the Flame
- 15 Months: Keeper of the Oath
- 18 Months: Keeper of the Pledge
- 21 Months: Keeper of the Bond
- 24 Months: Keeper of the Promise
- 27 Months: Keeper of the Covenant
Pick any Dye 12-Pack every 6 months
Pick any three of these 7 Obsidian Potions every month:
- Potion of Capacity: Increases carrying capacity
- Potion of Conservation: Reduces reagent use chance
- Potion of Expedience: Swift gathering on all gathering skills
- Potion of Precision: Increases Meticulous Collection to all gathering skills
- Potion of Preservation: Reduces armor and weapon damage
- Potion of Reclamation: Increases Salvage and Repair to all production skills
- Potion of Stamina: Decreases focus use from sprinting
While subscribed to the rewards program, players also receive these special bonuses:
- Obsidian Potions are significantly more powerful!
- 24 Additional Deck Slots!

January Login Reward

To help celebrate the new year, each account that logs in during the month of January will receive a one-time gift of a new cooking recipe for Croctails and a bundle of Green/Red/Yellow missile fireworks! (Thanks, Ian Berie!)

Green/Red/Yellow Missile Fireworks on the Beach at the Fishing Expedition

A Crocodile in Norgard Fens

Crown Store Updates

New in the crown store for December 15th:

Kobold Shelves (Thanks, Leylu Listwander!)

…for December 30th:

Ankh Party Hat Pack

Triple-Horned Candle Pack

The Winter Holidays store items are available until Wednesday February 8th:

List of Winter Holidays items:

Blank Yule Card 2017 5-Pack
Blank Yule Card 2018 5-Pack
Blank Yule Card 2020 A 5-Pack
Blank Yule Card 2020 B 5-Pack
Candy Cane Wand
Ceiling Yule Tree
Giant Haunted Yule Tree
Giant Yule Tree 2015
Giant Yule Tree 2016
Giant Yule Tree 2017
Giant Yule Tree 2018
Giant Yule Tree 2022
Haunted Sleigh
Haunted Snow Family
Haunted Snowman Mask
Haunted Yule Tree
Krampus Mask
Krampus Statue
Kwanzaa Table Decorations
Large Haunted Yule Tree
Large Yule Tree 2016
Large Yule Tree 2017
Large Yule Tree 2018
Large Yule Tree 2022
Menorah 2014
Menorah 2015
Menorah 2016
Menorah 2017
Menorah 2018
Menorah 2020
Menorah 2021
Ornate Mantle Garland 2017 12-Pack
Ornate Mantle Garland 2018 12-Pack
Ornate Replenishing Snowball Box 2014
Ornate Replenishing Snowball Box 2015
Ornate Replenishing Snowball Box 2016
Ornate Sled
Ornate Sleigh
Ornate Snow Family 2015
Ornate Snow Family 2016
Ornate Snow Family 2017
Ornate Snow Family 2018
Ornate Wall Garland 2017 12-Pack
Ornate Wall Garland 2018 12-Pack
Ornate Yule Music Box
Ornate Yule Wreath 2015 3-Pack
Ornate Yule Wreath 2016 3-Pack
Ornate Yule Wreath 2017 3-Pack
Ornate Yule Wreath 2018 3-Pack
Red-Nosed Reindeer Mount
Small Ornate Wall Garland 2017 12-Pack
Small Ornate Wall Garland 2018 12-Pack
Snow Globe 2020
Snow Globe 2022
Snowman Mask 2015
Snowman Mask with Hat & Moustache 2018
Snowman Mask with Stovepipe Hat 2016
Snowman Mask with Stovepipe Hat 2017
Tabletop Haunted Yule Tree
Tabletop Yule Tree 2014
Tabletop Yule Tree 2015
Tabletop Yule Tree 2016
Tabletop Yule Tree 2017
Tabletop Yule Tree 2018
Tabletop Yule Tree 2022
Yule Elf Outfit
Yule Gift Box 2016 3-Pack
Yule Gift Box 2017 3-Pack
Yule Gift Box 2018 3-Pack
Yule Gift Box 2020 3-Pack
Yule Gift Box 2021 3-Pack
Yule Stockings 2016 3-Pack
Yule Stockings 2017 3-Pack
Yule Stockings 2018 3-Pack
Yule Stockings 2020 3-Pack
Yule Stockings 2021 3-Pack
Yule Stockings 2022 3-Pack
Yule Tree 2014
Yule Tree 2015
Yule Tree 2016
Yule Tree 2017
Yule Tree 2018
Yule Tree 2022

Bug Brigade & Testing Directives!

The Bug Brigade was established to improve how the community and the development team work together to improve the game. Since the Brigade’s inception, the program has gone through a number of changes and was eventually placed on hold. The stability of the game is as important to the development team as it is to the players, therefore the program was revamped and was relaunched.

The Brigade has been up and running and the volunteers (Alley Oop, Echondas, Flair Minamoto, and Justyn) are in a good rhythm for verifying and submitting bugs to the developers. If you have reported a bug that has not yet been addressed, please be patient while the backlog is being worked. The Brigade is working diligently to clean up the backlog of bug reports posted by players on the forums.

Every month, a considerable amount of development time will be spent working many of the verified bugs which have been submitted to the team by the Bug Brigade. This focused effort on bug fixes would not be possible without the recent efforts of the Bug Brigade. Please take the time to thank these bug hunting aficionados when you encounter them in your travels!

In turn, the development team would like to express a big thank you to the Bug Hunters! These community members are doing a fantastic job bringing so many bug reports to the team, and they’re doing it in a way which makes the process smooth and efficient. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Much improvement has been noticed by the development team and we’re so very excited to see the program’s continued success!

The development team would also like to thank all of those who take time to participate in QA Testing Directives. Thanks to your hard work and dedication, many issues and bugs can be identified and fixed prior to content going to the Live Server! Keep up the great work! For those that wish to participate in future bug hunting endeavors, please check the forums regularly for upcoming QA Testing Directives.

Don’t forget, the Bug Brigade is open to all players in good standing and bug rewards are SWEET! They will be awarded on a monthly progression basis with only minimal requirements to qualify. The available rewards to receive in progression via qualifying participation are as follows:

Antennae Head Gear and Forum Title 1: “Bug Hunter”
Single Ant Cloak
Lady Bug Backpack
Bug Painting A and In-Game Title 2: “Associate of Aphids”
Ant Farm
Insect Leg Table
Many Ants Cloak and In-Game Title 3: “Bachelor of Beetles”
Bug Painting B
Bug Sprayer and /bugspray Emote
Bug Painting C and In-Game Title 4: “Master of Moths”
Butterfly Chair
Corpion Chair (Pictured Below)
Yellow Fireflies VFX and In-Game Title 5: “Doctor of Dragonflies”
Hacked Oracle Flyer
Giant Blue Butterfly Pet
Butterfly Mask
Dragonfly pet
Fairy Wings
Monarch Butterfly Pet
Dragonfly Wings
Hacked Oracle Crawler
Blue Butterfly VFX
Orange Fireflies VFX
Orange Butterfly VFX
Autumn Fairy Wings
Green Fireflies VFX
Landing Flies 3-pack
Blue Fireflies

If you’ve come to think of Shroud of the Avatar as your home, sign up and help make New Britannia a better place to live! To learn more about joining the Bug Brigade, please read the announcement thread by Ravalox in the main Bug/Feedback forums.

Streamer Program

Streamers of Shroud of the Avatar can participate in a program to showcase the game and be rewarded for their efforts. Any Streamer who wishes to be included in the Streamer Program can contact Laney via in-game mail with their Character Name and Twitch Channel information. If you have already signed up for the program in the past, fear not: you’re on the list and you don’t need to reapply.

Streaming Rewards Program participants must adhere to our Terms of Service (TOS) and Community Rules while Streaming Shroud of the Avatar.

Streaming Rewards Program participants must stream at least 10 hours of Shroud of the Avatar ACTIVE game play to remain in the program with reward accrual.

Streamers will receive a one-time digital reward of in-game items after meeting the program’s requirements: Streamer’s Cloak, Streamer’s Camera, and the LIVESTREAMING title.

Rules:

To qualify for Streamer Rewards, each streamer must continue to meet the minimum requirements for 60 days after application.
To accrue additional rewards, Streamers must stream SotA a minimum of 10 hours per month, tallied on the 1^st day of each month, to remain in the program.

Monthly Streamer Bundles:

On the 1st of each month, qualifying streamers will be eligible to receive 50 Streamer Bundles. Bundles will be sent out to Streamers via in-game mail.

A few things you need to know:

Streamer Bundles are intended to be given away to stream viewers, not consumed by the streamer.
Streamers are not allowed to put paywalls in place for the Streamer Bundles. (For example, giving away Streamer Bundles once the stream reaches a certain number of bits, subscriptions, or donations).

Other Items of Note:

Streamers in the program will be included in the SotAbot StreamPop function, appearing in the player-streaming channel in Discord.
An optional “Streamers Kit” is available to the participating streamers as well as all players of Shroud of the Avatar, which includes graphics, overlays and other material.
Streamers must be actively playing the game during their streams. Being away from the keyboard (AFK) for short periods is acceptable. If Twitch indicates the streamer is playing SotA but they are streaming other content or a timeout/login screen, they risk being removed from the program.

Upcoming Release Dates

Be sure to check out the Upcoming Events page for spotlighted events plus links to various areas to post or find events on our forums. The upcoming 2022-2023 Release Schedule is as follows:

This Release 109 – December 15 (Polish)
Release 110 – January 26 (Content)
Release 111 – February 23 (Polish)
Release 112 – March 30 (Polish)
Release 113 – April 27 (Content)

Community Events & Resources

Greetings event holders and event attendees! So many fun and exciting events are available in the upcoming weeks. Be sure to get out there and participate, make some new friends, perhaps make some great emote, recipe, or gear trades, or get some adventuring and role-playing into your mix! Here are spotlighted events or updated community resources that we’ve noticed popping up lately on the official forums.

Recurring Events:

Monthly Release Fishing Contests: This will be a rotating, multi-location contest sponsored and organised by Rajazel, The Town Museum and its Governor Diablotine.
Trash to Treasure Dropped Items Turn-In: Some unscrupulous fella has been flooding all of New Britannia with junk: Headdresses, Wings, Backpacks, assorted miscellany of every sort. It’s time to clean this trash up and so a bounty has been placed on all gear crafted by Coswald Dirthmire that is turned in each contest period!
Lightbringer Isle Fishing Contest: Why not earn some extra prizes each month and participate in Lightbringer Isle’s monthly fishing tourney? Lots of fantastic prizes — don’t miss out!
500 Crown Leisurely Fishing: Sonja Solar and friends are running a continuous fishing contest in Brittany Fort “Now and Forever for All Eternity” which has wonderful prizes and objectives. You can now win 500 Crowns for record fishies caught in Brittany Fort by anybody at any time in history for display in Sonja Solar’s fishy aquarium museum. Be sure to watch the video indicated in the “Brittany Fort” link provided in the first post to see the full explanation of the contest rules.
Lightbringer Isle Auction: Lightbringer Isle hosts a monthly auction held the Sunday after release at 11AM CT!

Community Calendars:

Avatars-Virtue Radio Calendar: Just when are all those talented DJ’s and streamers broadcasting? Don’t just guess, check out there very helpful calendar! Never again will you wonder when’s the best time to tune in!
NBNN Calendar: This calendar provides a great schedule for NBNN and WRFB programing as well as many other community events. If you’re a fan of the Laz & Jack show or even if you’re hoping to catch them in action for the first time, this is the calendar for you!
SotA Event Calendar: Event participants, take heed! Thoryk Omara has done a wondrous job creating a community event calendar which is available to all players of Shroud of the Avatar. Please make an effort to support this new calendar. The more resources players have at their disposable for event notifications, the better!

Community Event Resources: Here are some fantastic resources for tracking down community events or posting your own events. Become involved! Create! Explore! Make friends! But most of all, have fun!

One-Time Community Events Forum: Sometimes events happen only a single time, so you’ll not want to miss out on these events as they occur. Check out the forums routinely to spot these!
Recurring Community Events Forum: Some events occur on weekly or monthly schedules which are a great way to routinely meet up with friends and to make new ones. Be sure to check this forum frequently for new events or time changes to existing ones.
Game Master (GM) Potion Request Procedures: Shroud of the Avatar has an amazing in-game consumable for player event holders — the Potion of Temporary GM Powers! Players wishing to enhance their in-game community event by having GM Powers at their disposal need to simply follow the procedures outlined in this forum thread.
Player Event Trophies and Special Item Requests: Would you like to request a special trophy or renamed item for a player event you’ve created? Head on over to this thread to see what’s available and to obtain more information about request procedures.
Player Radio Station Forum: If you want to check out the latest and greatest from our in-game radio stations, go to the radio stations forum! If you’re a DJ, be sure to advertise your time slot and venue in this forum.
Player Livestreams & Videos Forum: If you’re searching for a Shroud Streamer to watch, head on over to the streamer forum! If you are a live streamer for Shroud of the Avatar, be sure to advertise your Shroud stream by posting in this forum.
Town Directory Forum: Want to find a town to live in or get your town listed in the directory, head over to the forums and check it out!
Guild Directory Forum: Looking for a guild or want to get yours posted in the guild directory? Head on over to the forums and check it out!
Fire Lotus Tavern: This wondrous role-playing and story writing forum is the spot to be if you love fan fiction and role-play.
Community Resources: Looking for links to community and official resources for Shroud of the Avatar? Well look no further. On this page you’ll find links to a plethora of helpful resources created by the dev team or the community.

SO many options to stay tuned-in with fellow community members. Please take advantage of all these wonderful options. Happy adventures, Avatars!

Project to Support: Shard RPG

Shard Studios invites you to enter the fantastic world Dárdünah, the vast shard of a shattered realm, as presented in the colorful pages of the SHARD RPG! Many years in the making, this system allows players to choose from a wide variety of animal people who are the main cast of the many adventures this otherworldly setting offers. Skyships glide through shimmering clouds past majestic crystal peaks. Giant insects prowl alien jungles or lurk in the sparkling emerald seas. Warriors with blades of diamond and amber duel across crimson sands. And mystics chant in shadowy chambers as their spirits wander abroad.

Intro Sheet: For a quick glimpse into the world of Dárdünah, be sure to download the intro pdf! It’s packed with great information and features beautiful artwork, not unlike the artwork found throughout the many pages of this gaming system’s gorgeously designed manuals.
Core System Manuals: It’s easier than ever to delve into Dárdünah, World of the False Dawn, with the Basic Compendium and the Magic and Martial Arts books! They contain everything you need to begin your adventures, and include instructions for the ritual magic and martial arts combat systems. These manuals also include 90 new Animal Templates upon which to base your character!
Other Shard RPG Products: So many more manuals and gaming materials are available! Everything an avid tabletop role-player and game master needs to delve into the world of Dárdünah!

So if you’re ready to experience a gaming world like no other, check out what Shard Studios has created for tabletop role-players on the Shard RPG official website! You’ll most certainly be immersed and amazed by the offerings of the Shard RPG!

Project to Support: Embers Adrift!

Help support one of our team members’ other projects, Embers Adrift! They officially launched September 30. Check out their official trailer here:

Project to Support: Avatar Express

[Forum post by Vladamir Begemot]

I’m pleased to report that The Avatar Express is clacking away furiously. News is being delivered and we have established systems to deliver it directly to your brain. You can use one of those systems by following us on Twitter at @avatar_express. Even more reliable due to its fully automated nature is joining us on the Discord server. News items are posted there via RSS. Or you can subscribe to RSS directly on the site.

If you run an event, quests, etc, please consider helping out by self reporting. The Shroud community is big, and many things are happening that are never seen by others. With 10k monthly users, we would need a full time staff to track down everything that is happening.

You can fill out the contributor form, message @that_shawn_guy here or post in the Discord server that you would like to help. There is no commitment once signed up, you can post as much or little as you like.

Writing up your own events has several benefits beyond the immediate exposure. It serves as a record for others to see the history of New Britannia as we create it, in an attractive format. Publishing in the Express also has a higher chance than the forums of being seen by search engines and random readers, thus bringing more eyeballs and new players to the game.

It will even make posting in the forums easier! You can upload images to your news item, and then link to those images in your forum post. No more need for 3rd party image hosts!

So if you have something going on in your guild or town, or want to be a Reporter, Cartographer or Historian, please join us!

Resources: Players Helping Players

The official SotA New Player Welcome Forum and the Player Created Resources Forum have the best player created resources for Shroud of the Avatar, whether it’s a Player Written Guide, a Video Walk-through, or a Wiki-type Website.

Visit the official Community Resources page for a complete listing of all things community.