Shroud of the Avatar – Update of the Avatar #180
Greetings Fellow Avatars!
Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:
- Preorder The Sword of Midras SotA Novel and Audiobook!
- HoBLotH III Community Event
- Xounts Kickstarter: Shroud of the Avatar Special
- The Mysterious Chamber at the Confluence
- The Making of Brittany Wharfs
Pre-Order Now: The Sword of Midras SotA Novel for Hardcover, Kindle, Nook and Audiobook
The Sword of Midras, by Tracy Hickman and Richard Garriott, is a revised and expanded version of the Blade of the Avatar novel (originally included in pledge rewards through May 31, 2015). The expanded The Sword of Midras includes four additional chapters not seen in the pledge reward version of Blade of the Avatar, extending and elaborating on key elements of the story.
The release date is June 21, 2016 by Tor Books. The Hardcover, Kindle, and Nook, versions are available for pre-order now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Release date for the unabridged audiobook version is July 12, 2016 with pre-orders available now at Audible.com.
[NOTE: The Sword of Midras is not the version of the novel included in the SotA pledge rewards due to contractural obligations with Tor Books. The original Blade of the Avatar novel has already been delivered as an electronic PDF to all pledges prior to May 31, 2015 (when it expired). For those who qualify for this reward, you can find the link to the PDF on your SotA website account page Special Rewards tab for download. The physical and signed version of the novel that was a reward at the Citizen (and above) level up through May 31, 2015 will be a paperback print version of the original Blade of the Avatar novel that has been delivered as an electronic PDF. This physical reward will be delivered to backers at the same time that all physical rewards are delivered, which we currently expect will be toward the end of this year].
HoBLotH III Community Event
Last week was amazing in Austin for both Portalarium and the SotA community! Many on our team had the pleasure of attending the community run event, HoBLotH III, which stands for Hearth of Britannia: Lifeblood of the Hearth. The event generated a huge amount of activity for over five days at Castleton Village near the office.
Dancing, storytelling, and LARPing quests and contests occurred throughout each day with many events extending well into the evenings. Tuesday was the official kick-off day with the real fun beginning on Wednesday with a bunch of quests that included testing one’s knowledge of Britannia, a scavenger hunt, fishing, and fighting for valor in LARP combat!
Xounts Kickstarter: Shroud of the Avatar Special!
The dev team was excited to announce that Xounts is offering a free Shroud of the Avatar style when you support their unique speaker system Kickstarter campaign.
The Xounts system should be fantastic at delivering great sound based on it’s internal designs, plus looks really cool wherever it’s placed, and supports custom themes… including a really SWEET Shroud of the Avatar theme. They even have a SotA styled Xounts in our office!
The Mysterious Chamber at the Confluence
[A Dev+ Forum Post by Scottie Jones]
In the land of North Paladis, at the strange confluence of the wine-red Fortus River and the bluish river Sanctus, lay the dangerously lush crater of the Paladis Shardfall. Here these two rivers intertwine and then separate in a way that can only be explained by some deep magic brought into play, no doubt, by the fall of the obsidian moon-shards long ago. The waters of both rivers mingle together here to create a flow of delicate purple hues before separating once again, as if by enchantment, to continue their paths miraculously restored to their original, distinct colors!
And here, as if signifying the place from which such magic must have been harnessed, is a small iron door tucked behind the waterfall leading into the crater itself. Those who have dared the twisted and sometimes lethal foliage growing here may find this door easily. Nothing bars one’s way, save the inherent peril of its surroundings, and the doorway opens with little effort…
Beyond it rests a chamber of obvious Obsidian Order creation, though much of it has long since been overgrown by the strange, glowing fungi and other alien flora that thrives here. A roaring sound fills the chamber, echoing from its inward sloping walls and down from the curved ceiling above, pierced by black shards. Looking straight ahead, a carved stone path leads to a platform surrounded by ancient obelisks, set into the glowing waters of a pool shimmering with violet hues.
The sound, of course, comes from the crashing waters of an underground offshoot of the two rivers above. Here, at the far end of this strange and mysterious chamber, the two different waterfalls of blue and red cascade down to blend into the lambent, glowing violet pool that surrounds the observer as they walk across the ancient path. At the center of the chamber, at the far end of a dais inscribed with the Obsidian Septagram of Dominion, rests a lone and empty marble podium facing the falling water.
What Obsidian Lords once stood in this dark place? And what dire words did they whisper to the roaring waters before them? Perhaps, instead, it is a place yet to fulfill its unknown purpose…and the podium awaits in this strange, twilight cave for some terrible fragment of long-forgotten lore.
Regardless, no answers are forthcoming from the silent and otherworldly sentinel vegetation, nor do the grim obelisks share their secrets. For the time being, the Chamber of the Confluence must remain a mystery.
I hope you’ve enjoyed taking a glimpse into this secret place… Perhaps its purpose won’t remain forgotten for much longer…
Scottie ^_^
The Making of Brittany Wharfs
[A Dev+ Forum Post by Esteben “SorcerousSteve” Zaldivar]
Hey Folks, here is an update on this week’s progress on the Brittany Wharfs.
Located just North of Brittany, the Brittany Wharfs is a coastal neighborhood rampant with merchants and trade. Town Lots will predominate in this neighborhood. Below we catch a glimpse of the Harbor at dawn. Big and small boats fill the harbor, industry and shipbuilding are present, and a fort overlooks the harbor providing defensive support to the heart of Brittany located just down the coast.
A water community with plenty of water lots is located on the north side of the Wharfs. For all you water lot lovers, there will be village, town, city and even a keep island lot, but you gotta catch them while they’re hot!
I’ve started the process of detailing areas of the map, below is a cluster of shops focusing on armor, combat, and weapons all conveniently located a short walk away from player housing.
Stay tuned for the next update on the Brittany Wharfs!
Esteben Zaldivar
Level Designer
