Welcome to 2022!
over 2 years ago – Sat, Jan 08, 2022 at 01:37:30 PM

Happy New Year everyone! We enjoyed our holiday season and hope that yours was merry and bright. It’s been a week or two since we updated so we just want to check in and update you on what’s going on here at Ink and Lyre.

Nine Realms Gaming

Over the break, the fellas over at Nine Realms Gaming sent us some updates on their progress. Here’s a preview of what they’ve been working on.

Charity Livestream

On December 28th, the Iron Valor team hosted our Annual Charity Livestream on Twitch. This year, the Candlekeep Crew returned with “A Dark Holiday” in support of Charity Gaming, a nonprofit dedicated to providing video games to children in hospitals to help make them feel like kids again. Together, we raised $815 and set a record for the longest game ever played on the channel. You can check out the VOD on our YouTube.

Final Manifestation Art update! Last but not least!

Waking (Capricorn)

Sign: Waking

Association: Capricorn

Traits: Serious, Leader, Callous

Manifestation: Forge of the Covenant

Weave: Natural
Alignment: Lawful

Forge of the Covenant Manifestation by Nidhi Naroth

Waking is a unique Sign that does not manifest throughout Aroria, but rather in one singular place. The Forge of the Covenant is deep beneath the dwarven city of Digbrand and is the most sacred location to Digbrand’s citizens. The Forge is capable of creating Artifact level magic items and is critical to summoning many of the Divine Avatars. The centerpiece of the forge is a humble anvil of meteorite that is chained to a pure meridium hammer.

That’s all for now. We’ll be back next Friday with more updates on the project.

Thanks!

The Ink and Lyre Team

Backerkit Survey Locking and Charges
over 2 years ago – Mon, Dec 13, 2021 at 10:10:09 AM

Happy Update Day everyone! We have a highly detailed update for you regarding the finalization of our Backerkit Survey and with 90% of surveys completed, we have some fun facts about Stargazer’s Guide to Aroria.

Surveys Lock at 10:00 PM EST on 12/12/21

This Sunday, we’re locking Backerkit survey orders and closing the pre-order store. This is your last opportunity to adjust your pledge, include add-ons to your survey, or change Zodiac selections for Nine Realms products. You should receive a “last call” email from Backerkit and we recommend you double check your order and update your information if it has changed.

Transactions Process on Monday 12/13/21

After orders lock on Sunday night, we will begin processing transactions for shipping, pre orders, and add-ons to your pledge on Monday morning. You will receive an email from Backerkit when your transaction is processed. After your transaction is complete, there is nothing else for you to do as a back except await your rewards and keep your shipping information up to date. You will have the opportunity to update it through Backerkit until January and may manually update it afterward by email Jake at [email protected]

Fun Facts!

Stargazer’s Guide to Aroria was such a fun campaign and we had many add-ons and a ton of customization for all of you to choose from. Here are some interesting facts about how you all answered our survey questions.

1. You all LOVED the NPC Star Chart and Astral Character Sheets. Those were by far the most popular add ons this campaign. Those top two dwarfed our third most popular add, which was the Enamel Pin
   
2. The Limited Edition Stargazer’s Cover was extremely popular. Nearly 75% of our backers chose the Kickstarter exclusive. I guess it’s a good thing we met that stretch goal huh?
   
3. Can you guess which Sign was the most popular? For Hex Vaults, Frostwane (Pisces) was the most popular, but for the trays and posters, Duskworn (Scorpio) was highest in the sky.
   
4. We’re shipping more than 5,000 items to 1,010 cities across 29 different countries around the world. Stargazer’s Guide to Aroria has gone global. It’s so exciting to think about the variety of adventures you all will share with your friends thanks to this geographic diversity and we’re thankful we were able to create SGtA for you.
   

Global Supply Chain Update

Given many of the challenges from the global supply chain issues, we still want to prepare you for a delayed delivery. We are monitoring the situation while talking with our partners, including our printers and warehouses. As more information reveals itself, we will remain in conversation with you should this situation impact fulfilment. As soon as we know the impact, we will pass that information along to you.

Wrap Up

The holidays are on us and as we put the finishing touches on Stargazer’s Guide to Aroria you can expect the next few updates to be on the lighter side. This is the second to last significant update for this campaign with the last major update revolving around fulfilment dates in January and our next steps as a company.

Thanks for all your support!

The Ink and Lyre Team

Holiday Update! More Manifestation Art!
over 2 years ago – Fri, Nov 26, 2021 at 11:04:06 PM

Happy Friday everyone! It’s Thanksgiving here in the states and we hope you all are enjoying time with your family and friends. We have another piece of art for you all to enjoy as we head into the weekend!

 Soulstice (Virgo)

•  Association: Virgo
•  Traits: Calculated, Faithful, Critical 
•  Manifestation: Hive
•  Weave: Natural
•  Alignment: Neutral
•  Colors: Grey, Beige, Pale-Yellow

The Hive is community and synergy. It is when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The manifestation is a benevolent being, assisting in places where entire communities would fail without their presence, usually in times of strife or natural disaster. A family trapped inside by deep snow might find bushels of berries growing close by. A farmland whose crop was destroyed by floods will find fishing significantly easier for the rest of the summer. A community, ravaged by war, may rally around a particularly inspiring leader to protect themselves. When communities need magical help to survive, the Hive may gather.

Catch up on Fate’s End, Breach Battles, and Wild Beyond the Witchlight over on youtube or watch live on our Twitch Channel! Have a great weekend everyone!

Thanks!

The Ink and Lyre Team

Wild Beyond the Witchlight and a Short Update
over 2 years ago – Sat, Nov 13, 2021 at 01:32:52 PM

Happy Friday everyone! There is very little to announce and share today, but always want to touch base and make sure you know everything is running smoothly.

Giveaways!

The digital giveaways have been sent out! If you’re seeing this in your email and are eligible for the 48hr or the 72hr giveaways, you should also have an email from us with the NPC Starchart Generator, Astral Character Sheet, or both! If you backed on or before August 4th and did not receive an email,  check your spam or message us at [email protected]. If you received an email with a giveaway and added the digital product to your survey, please return to your BackerKit Survey and update your order before orders lock in December.

Wild Beyond the Witchlight Campaign!

Iron Valor returns Wednesday November 17th at 8:30 CST with the latest adventure module from Wizards of the Coast. Join us at Twitch.tv/InkandLyre for the latest addition to our Live Play channel! You can also catch Fate’s End, a campaign set in the Stargazer’s Guide to Aroria, every Monday at 7:30 CST and on Tuesday’s you can join some members of our team playing Malifaux 3E by Wyrd games in our Breach Battles Charity Tournament.

Check out the intro!

Thanks!

The Ink and Lyre Team

Two New Manifestations, Kickstarter Giveaways, and the SGtA Gamemaster Suite!
over 2 years ago – Fri, Nov 05, 2021 at 10:31:13 PM

Huge update this Friday! We’ve got art, we’ve got surveys, we’ve got shipping answers so buckle up.

Rimewomb (Aquarius)

• Association: Aquarius
• Traits: Rebel, Inventive, Condescending
• Manifestation: Wandering Star
• Weave: Arcane
• Alignment: Neutral
• Colors: Light-Blue, Silver

Rimewomb manifests on the material plane as the Wandering Star. It is a being of crackling energy and light, commonly seen as a fast-moving star in the night sky. When it manifests earth-side, it may take the form of simple glints of light, a firework display, blinding flashes and shocks of electricity. Someone who the Wandering Star has chosen to visit may witness a stunning meteor shower – or be struck by lightning, depending on the Star’s whim. Those who claim to have carried on a conversation with the Star say it took the form of a pulsing, amorphous body of crackling light.

Sunbask (Gemini)

• Association: Gemini
• Traits: Curious, Creative, Disingenuous
• Manifestation: Swindle Twins
• Weave: Arcane
• Alignment: Chaotic
• Colors: Any, but always yellow.

The Swindle Twins manifest in natural lifelong pairs. Lovebirds, penguins, grey wolves, foxes, any mammal that typically mates for life is a common manifestation of the Swindle Twins. The Twins are said to be the original source of Doppelgangers, but no one knows for sure. The Twins manifest most often in situations where secrets and lies are being hidden. As tricksters, they seek to be the cause of self-incrimination or sabotage.

Surveys, The Astral Character Sheet, and the NPC Starchart

Over 80% of you have completed your survey and we are quickly approaching 100%. Many of you have upgraded your orders with add-ons and we really appreciate your promptness and additional support. Remember, payments are not processed until we lock in surveys in December and you have the opportunity to add or edit anything in the survey until then.

The NPC Star Chart and Astral Character Sheets are releasing on November 12th! Next Friday, all backers who are eligible for the free giveaway will receive an email with one or both digital PDFs for your use. We’re super excited to get these to you and have the first digital versions of a Stargazer’s Guide to Aroria product in your hands!

Shipping Resolution

When we released the Survey a few weeks ago, many of you were surprised by the additional shipping costs– so were we. As stated, we found that the shipping and fulfilment was more than our initial estimate and we’re incredibly sorry for that miscalculation. The shipping costs are correct and we wish we could have adequately prepared all of you for what they would be.

Because we cannot change those shipping costs, we want to add value to your pledges by providing each and every backer with the Stargazer’s Guide to Aroria Gamemaster Suite! Part of Ink and Lyre’s mission is to make TTRPGs more accessible and easier to start for new players and new Gamemasters in particular. The Gamemaster Suite is a set of digital products that assist the Gamemaster in preparing and running the game session, all themed specifically for Adventurers in Aroria. 

Here’s what you’re getting:

• Initiative Tracker.
• Status Effect/Condition Markers
• Customizable Magic Item Card Templates: Weapons/Armor, Potions, and Wondrous Items
   

Combat is difficult to manage for any Gamemaster and the Initiative Tracker will help keep your battle moving swiftly. Condition markers can be placed directly on minis or handed to the player as a friendly reminder when their turn comes around. Both players and Gamemasters alike can make use of the customizable cards to keep up with their attuned items and never forget how many healing potions they have.

These digital downloads will be sent directly to all backers via email before surveys are processed in December.

Thanks for all you do!

The Ink and Lyre Team