The Professions of Swordsfall
about 5 years ago – Mon, Mar 25, 2019 at 01:52:20 AM

So, let's talk a bit about the Professions of Tikor, the subject of the second book that you backers have brought to life. You've heard the name before, but what does it mean to Swordsfall? And why should you be excited for this book? I have answers! Let's jump into it.

What exactly is a Profession? 

Professions are in a sense, exactly what they sound like. They are what you do, a career in life. While there are many, many professions on Tikor, when we say Professional, we mean something quite different. 

These Professionals are humans with exceptional gifts and various abilities that transcend the ordinary. The things they can do are special among those who use Hekan, the magic of the world. No matter the profession, there’s a high level of training and aptitude required. To be called a Professional is a matter of pride, and not a distinction taken lightly.

How many Professions are there?

Currently there are 34 Professions in Swordsfall, each of them with their own lore, background and role in the world. That’s not to say that every profession contained on Tikor is within Tikor: The Professionals. The world of Swordsfall is mammoth and there are always more stories to tell and unknown Professionals to highlight.

The Professions are broken into the three main types of Hekan: Divination, Possession and Invocation.

What are the Professions?

Each Profession is unique from another, as no two jobs are alike. 

Take for instance the Shadowtail, a rare profession usually only seen in Garuda. A Shadowtail is capable of wielding the shadows around them, sensing and touching them like matter. By using Shadow Invocation, they can disappear into a person’s shadow, and appear from another. They are feared for good reason, and not because of the threat of assassination. Though a few ‘tails have been involved in a murder plot or two.

Instead, they are the ultimate spies. They are not the fly on the wall. They are the fly’s shadow, eavesdropping, ever so silently, to the room. They most often serve at the King of Garuda’s side, ensuring their safety and spilling the lands secrets.

I won’t post all of them here, however, I did throw all of the pictures into an Imgur file. Browse and check out all 34 of Swordsfall’s Professions! A few of them, like Shadowtails, already have detailed lore on the World Anvil website.

 
Click HERE or copy the link below to head to the Imgur file.

https://imgur.com/gallery/gHZLJak

New Pledge Tiers : Die on Tikor, and Creature Creator
about 5 years ago – Tue, Mar 19, 2019 at 08:18:05 PM

I've had a few messages about if we were going to add any new pledge tiers, or open up the limited slot ones. Unfortunately we can't open more slots on the Deity and Professional tiers, mainly due to the amount of work that falls upon T'umo.

However, I am all for a fun pledge tier that doesn't add stress for the team, but something fun and unique for you! Both of these new tiers include everything from the Physical Deluxe Bundle. So, with that said, what are these two new Pledge Tiers...

Pledge $85: R.I.P - Died on Tikor

Sometimes on vacation...accidents happen. Was it natural? Was it murder? Or did you just...disappear? Either way, you never came back from Tikor...

After the Kickstarter is finished we will send you a survey where you'll fill out the details of your character (real or fictional you). Throughout "Welcome to Tikor", where there's a death, it won't just be anybody. It will be YOU.

*Ominous music*

This one is for my macabre friends who would rather die on Tikor than be a citizen. You know who you are. And we love you. And I shall personally see to your death. If, like, you want to. 

CLICK TO TWEET

Pledge $110: Tikor Creature Creator

For those who love creatures of the night more than deities. This is your chance to add your own strange creation to Swordsfall. It may be dark, or vibrant, it's up to you.

I (Brandon) will take your creature and dip it in the lore of Swordsfall and make sure it meshes into the world. I can take either a simple idea and expand, or simply fit it into the world.

Then your creation will be drawn by the master creature designer, Jonah Lobe. His art style is truly one of a kind, and whatever he comes up with will be astounding. Your creature will then become part of the lore of the world. This art will appear in "The Animalists Guide to Creatures".

If you subscribe to this tier, but we don't hit that Stretch goal, then you can either move to a lower pledge OR still have it made. However it would be just shared with you, and saved until we are able to make the creature book.

 CLICK TO TWEET

And that's it! If you're not interested in these new tier's, no worries, nothing else has changed. I just wanted to offer a couple more options based on backer feedback!

Also, I'm trying out this whole fancy, "Call to Action" thing. So YOU'VE BEEN CALLED TO ACTION. Click those fancy, "Click to tweet" links, to have a little message tweeted out. It would be great to see a bunch from everyone, and spread the word!

New Stretch Goal: $50,000 - Character Design from Venus Bambisa
about 5 years ago – Tue, Mar 19, 2019 at 08:16:49 PM

With the Kickstarter doing so well, I can actually add in one more artist that I've been dying to have on the team!

Venus Bambisa! And with it, a new Stretch goal appears...

$50,000 - Character Design From Venus Bambisa

If you take a look at her Artstation, you'll see some of the coolest black character design and concepts around. The way she seems to meld anime influences with African themes is just stunning. Many of the designs have stages where they power up and become more powerful. Again, classic anime influence.

However, with her being from South Africa, she always seems to make each piece feel like her home country. While it's clear that tone is inspired by Japanese anime, the pieces don't feel foreign or contrived. The design is just amazing, and I've wanted it in Swordsfall for a while now. Well with your support, we can do that!

When we hit $50k I can afford to bring this talent to the team and unleash her on the Professions of Tikor! We'll be using her amazing talents to help flesh out the look and design of Tikor's Professionals. The T'umo will take these designs and illustrate them in the style that Swordsfall is starting to becoming known for!

This will be the FINAL artist for "Welcome to Tikor", and someone who I hope will be on the team for a little while!

Stretch Goal #8 Unlocked - Dragons and Creatures from Jonah Lobe
about 5 years ago – Mon, Mar 18, 2019 at 12:28:37 AM

Well it's been a crazy busy first week of the Kickstarter! We've managed to smash EIGHT stretch goals in just the first seven days. 

Let me say, once again, thank you! The team is so pumped to get these books done and in everyone's hands! We flew past the coveted $35k Stretch goal yesterday. Which means...

Dragons and Creatures from Jonah Lobe

Now some of you may not recognize him by name, but you will certainly recognize him by the work he's done. Jonah was one of the lead artists at Bethesda and the one responsible for the much of the iconic creatures in Skyrim and Fallout. It's basically a who's who list of fan favorite creatures.

Here's a short list:

• The Giants
• Deathclaws
• Mirelurk
• Supermutant
• Dragonbone Armor
• Draugr
• Skryim Dragons
• Mammoths
• Dryads

Needless to say, we're honored to have such an accomplished artist be a guest on the Swordsfall team! Jonah's expertise with creatures and professional work will only help improve the look and feel of "Welcome to Tikor".

He will be the primary artist on the dragons of the Swordsfall world, The Wretched Ones. If you're not familiar with him, check out our World Anvil article on these twisted creatures!

Now that Jonah is on the team, that leads us to the final book of the Kickstarter...

Fourth PDF - "The Animalists' Guide to Creatures" - Art by Jonah Lobe and T'umo Mere

Let's get Swordsfall on the Kicktraq Hotlist!
about 5 years ago – Sat, Mar 16, 2019 at 02:24:43 AM

So did you know that Kicktraq has a hotlist? And Swordsfall ISN'T ON IT? I think we're hot stuff, and we should be on that list!

Click the link below and then hit"Visit Project"! That's it. Plus Kicktraq is an easy way to creep on us and see all the numbers.

Let's got ALL the stretch goals!

http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/swordsfall/welcome-to-tikor-the-swordsfall-rpg-setting-and-ar