There's no worse habit than starting something new before you've finished what you already had going.
So — naturally — I've started something new.
I've begun laying the groundwork for the "going into the dark" mechanic, starting with the portable beacon.
Walking in the dark is a big social piece of this world. The first expeditions will be cautious and uncertain — players feeling things out.
Whoever carries the beacon can light up the dark stretches of the world. That lets a group extend bridges of light deeper into the darkness, opening a path toward points of interest — for example, the Tomaridema tower. The tower is where knowledge about the monolith's energy is gathered: how to use it, what its place in the world is. There you study the pages of the book, earn knowledge, and work on runes, combinations, and everything else that draws on the monolith's energy.
But waking a darkness that's slept for centuries isn't exactly a smart move. Light it up, and the things that live there — the ones that were asleep until you showed up — start attacking the beacons.
There are four of these quest points of interest scattered around Runelight. Each one is a guild in its own right that anyone can join and help build up:
- Tower — energy and runes. Home for players chasing complex combinations, mobility, buffs, and the secrets of the world.
- Garrison — for the melee crowd: vanguard, brute force, holding the line.
- Menagerie — this one's for players like me. The ones who collect pets, command them, set up tactics and attack chains. They're also the ones who hold the locations while everyone else is offline.
- Crafters — the heart of the world. They process everything that gets brought in, found, or stolen: building fortifications for pets, recycling creature parts into gear, brewing alchemy, and generally shaping the world everyone else sees.
Every point of interest needs beacons to build its bridge. Each one is its own little front that has to be defended against the creatures of the dark — but each is also meant to become a home and a hub of growth for the players who settle there.
And yes — any player can head to any point of interest, and even do well at all of them, if they've got the free time for it. Each point also has its own book that grants buffs and has to be studied.
This is the players' first real meeting with the dark, and honestly the moment they realize how the push toward the capital can begin (the finale of the fifth quest) — the first clashes, the first forays after better resources, and so on.
It's all still on paper for now, but the work has started. After that it's just the small stuff — sit down and do it.
Thanks for reading.