Its somehow already April update time!

Wild how much time flies and how much can go on behind the scenes without realizing I havent posted about much!
I've got some information to share regarding whats been going on behind the scenes as well as some small spring fun for you this month while you wait for the big updates coming back this summer!

Changes & Updates

With that, lets dig into the updates first!

GUIDES

Avilli Guide basics is done with the exception of the mana section!
I'm working on a visual to help illustrate how avilli use mana, but the rest of the guide, as well as a free to use base for the game have been added on site.

We've made progress overhauling some of the BIG forms on the site, one of the hard ones being the terms of service and code of conduct. This will help us so much with being able to lay ground rules for expectations between us, and you! Its unfortunately a very meaty task, so has taken most of our guideworking time, but dont fret we've got eyes on the FAQ and other guides on the site as well!

Traits

Being one of the important parts of the game, I'm excited to show off these updates! I've almost completed all of the new images for voxibells, which means you'll slowly be seeing the traits swapping to the new images.

I'll be slowly adding these in as I go through and format, and make sure all of them are reading clearly.
You can follow along by keeping an eye on this page:

Voxibell Visual Trait Guide

Once the voxibell traits are done I'll be diving into the avilli traits and getting them loaded in!

Some of the traits rarities, descriptions, and specifications are subject to change as I work on balancing more traits into the system.
If you have a character with a trait that is getting downgraded in rarity, you will receive a potion of that rarity in compensation, if the trait goes up in rarity, you will be automatically upgraded to the rarer trait!

Some Traits that have undergone changes:

Ringed Pupils moved from Mythic to Uncommon
- Felt more fitting for the trait and wanted another uncommon eye trait to make fun eye traits more accessible!

Prong Horns have been split into two traits! Prong (uncommon) and Heart (common)
-It addresses a need for a longer prong horn without requiring an uncommon trait for those that want just a little heart or bean shaped horn.

Swordpoint Horns have been removed
-It was an unused trait that I felt could be better utilized with other traits.

Spade has been moved from Rare to Uncommon
- Since swordpoint was removed it helps fill out the uncommon traits.

But what about some new traits?

Sickle Horns 

Ibex Horns



Two new rare horn traits have been added for voxibells!



As for the individual trait listings, they now list the alternate types in a clearer display, as well as show you some of the characters with that trait, or let you know if no characters on the masterlist that have it yet. Neat!

Item Display

Item display on the encyclopedia is undergoing some changes! We're working on making each item much more informative on what the item does, what event it comes from if it comes from one, and what recipes it can be used in!
Some items still have yet to be updated with correct information, but all items list their recipes, so no need to go hunting to see what recipes it can be used in! Looks like we'll need some new recipes soon to test it some more...

Additional Updates

• You may have noticed minor updates on the site itself! A lot of the text style has changes, more areas have been fixed with their mobile formatting, the front page style is slowly getting changed up, If you notice another spot on tension on mobile or otherwise, please send in a bug ticket onsite! These are the easiest way for me to track what needs to be done!
  
  

• While working on building things in the site, I've also been working away on things outside of the main site as well! Im excited to show off the new toyhou.se world page that gives a good amount of information for old and new players at a glance. 
  
  Painted Relics Toyhouse World

  Looking forward to seeing everyone's characters joining on the world there!

More Coming Soon

Shards from Sudoku + More

I want to make sure this is more seen so it gets its own little section!

Some players are still missing shards from discontinued event currency payouts as well as from some of the sudokus not granting shards when they should have. Dont fret though, I promise they are still coming!

I was going through and manually processing these one by one but its.. a lot to go through so I've switched to coding something that will let me backgrant these things in a much more streamlined and automatic manner! Hang tight while I get that sorted out cause as soon as I do, everyone will get their missed shards plus a little extra for the hassle!

Scouting for springtide

Springtide is a lovely time to celebrate with friends and family the fall of winter and the life that blooms when the snow melts, and while this year is a calmer year then usual for springtime celebrations. A late flower still blooms in the end right?

The springtide festival may not offer much extra this year, but the shop is still open for the month of April!

Springtide Festival

And while this is a smaller year for the festival, we still simply can't have a year without an egg hunt!

The springtide egg hunt is now live!

Eggs are hidden around the site until the 10th of May!
As always please refrain from sharing and posting about locations to give others a chance to find their own set of eggs! More hints and staff help will be provided after the 25th of April.

Good luck hunting!

Monthly Raffle

The winner of the winter event raffle is CloverEtoile !
Your prize has been sent!

And for the month of April, you can win a spring pet of your choice!



Hop on over the raffle quest to see the details!

Planning Ahead

To remain as transparent as possible it's been slower then I originally intended for updates behind the scenes, but a lot of the team has been pretty busy! I've currently projected to be finished with all of my fixes, updates, and otherwise to be done for July to be the official relaunch of events and more in Painted Relics.

I'm hoping that these few slow months on events and other things will be worth it in the end while I prep content, fix the site to be easier for a small staff to use, and realize Painted Relics as it was intended to be.

May and June will be a similar tune to this month's update, but I promise for all the waiting you're doing for this little game of mine. I'm looking forward to making it worth it! As it gets closer to my July prediction I'll be sure to update you on the status of that if it needs to be any later then July, but I'm hoping that July should be the month and when we reopen with events there will be BIG things!

As always thanks for sticking with me through this journey, watching this game change and adapt to what it needs to be, and as always for your love and support for the wonderful world of Kyvalore.

- Wisp ♥

Get Involved!

If you're not part of our discord community, you're missing out!

We have a discord community where we can hangout and chat, talk about our characters, stream (sometimes with sneak peaks!), host extra activities and lots more!

Join our discord!

Wild that it is already the last month of the winter season! It feels like just yesterday we were launching the winter event.

February is the last month for this seasons prompts, so dont forget to get those prompts in if you've started them so you don't lose out on those tasty shards!

We've got some big topics to talk about this month, so lets dig right in.

A Step Forward

In the month of January we took a little break to work on some bigger projects, fix bugs, and take a step back and let the team play catchup due to the holiday season. During that time we got running with some projects, but it left me reflecting on some of the bigger overarching aspects of Painted Relics, and really what it means to make this space something special.

In the little life of this arpg with big hopes and dreams for it, I knew where I wanted it to go in a way, like only knowing parts of the alphabet but needing to write an essay.
In the time of PR, we've been able to test different systems! We've added SO many items and features! Adjusted content to make it fair and balanced and fine tune some of the basics that make it work! All while also allowing me to really find that foundation that it should be built on in the first place.
All this to really say that we've come so far really, with so much content, but taking a step back and realizing that in testing so many features and expanding so much, I've left the foundation unfinished.

I've always wanted to be the kind of person that remains as transparent with those that support me and the things I create as possible, and I want to make sure I'm fully open and honest here most of all. I have been driven by excitement for new content and features of the site with promises of, I will fix this/finish this later but it works for now, but looking back I've realized I have failed some of those fixes and promises, overlooked some content that needed addressing, and left the foundation of Painted Relics with blank spaces, temporary fixes, and otherwise unfinished content instead of the stable ground that it should be to build the game that it should be.
All of this to say that we are taking a step back from events and big exciting updates for a bit, but steps back only to take leaps and bounds forward! Stepping back to build a better base to build off of, to make things easier for both players and mods, while also making sure Painted Relics is the arpg that is something to be proud of and the one that you deserve!

We'll still be approving characters, quests, doing raffles, updating shops, and running occasional sales, but will not be running any big events, big story updates, or big monthly news posts until I feel that the foundation is strong enough to support the big dreams and goals that I have for this group. Quests will also still be updated for the spring season in March so you still have new quests to inspire you while you wait for the next big event!
I expect these updates to take a few months to make sure that it is the quality to be proud of and the quality you deserve, but I will keep you updated as much as possible in the progress!
As always, I am excited to share all of this with you and am so honored to have you here. Its your support and love for this magical world of mine that gives me so much extra drive to keep pursuing this dream of mine to make this game work, and work well.

Thank you for being here in Painted Relics with me! It's hard for me to write this and admit to my shortcomings, but I know it's for the best and helps me take the best route to take those big steps forward.

A small additional heads up that next month's news update will be a day or two late due to me being out of town on the 10th!

Changes & Updates

All that being said, lets dig into what we've been working on and what's coming soon!

GUIDES

One of the biggest things I've found that has fallen short is guides. Not only are some of them just ugly, they dont cover all the bases that I need them to cover! I want to give everyone the most information while also showing off what makes Painted Relics special!

Starter Guide Rework

The New Adventurer Guide has gotten updated! We'll slowly be adding more content and links to it as other guides get updated!

Voxibell Species Guide

This has definitely been one of the bigger projects, but the voxibell guide has more references, more information, a downloadable voxibell psd to use, relevent links to voxibell lore and content, and tips for creating your voxibell!

Avilli Guide update is soon to follow!

The rest of the guides, including the FAQ, are also set to get updated with more examples/visuals, some of them planned to be more overhauled then others so stay tuned!

Traits

Traits have been a big spot where I've felt could use one of the largest updates and something that I've been hesitant to tackle because there's so much to do, but almost all traits will be getting updated images on new trait bases.

These new bases look nicer, show off the traits better, will be more consistant, and all traits will have more extensive descriptions in order to cover all the bases so you can create your Kyvalorians with more confidence! We'll be slowly rolling out the updated trait bases as we go, but we'll be posting updates on them in the discords changelog!

Once we're done rolling out the existing traits on the new bases it might mean that we need to test it with some new traits...

Additional Updates

• Seasonally Featured Player has been removed. With how small our game is, and honestly how hard it is to track player interactions it was a hard one to really follow thorugh on! It may be added to the game later on when there is a larger playerbase.
• Characters should be able to freely move their location to an adjacent location once a month! This feature is still in testing, but can be accessed from your character's edit profile page!

Updates Coming Soon

Layout Fixes
Overhauled New Adventurer Quests
Help Tickets
Big Pet Organization
More Lore
Foraging Update
& Secret Things

Hearts & Valentines

Even though there isnt a valentine event this month, we can't completely go without!

All valentine pets have been added to the pet shop, all valentine food has been added to the savory and sweet shop, a new pet the lovebug humble is in the pet shop and special valentine giftwrap is in the general store! This is only for the month of february so make sure you grab what you're wanting to grab before the end of the month!

There's also a single special quest for the month if you're looking for an excuse to draw or write about your Kyvalorian with someone special!

Monthly Raffle

The winner of the winter event raffle is AuroreChaton !
Your prize will be sent to you shortly!

And for the month of February we have the most fitting avilli designed by sardoniczero



Hop on over the raffle quest to see the details!

Get Involved!

If you're not part of our discord community, you're missing out!

We have a discord community where we can hangout and chat, talk about our characters, stream (sometimes with sneak peaks!), host extra activities and lots more!

Join our discord!

Time for a little adopt gacha!

This is first come first serve and your design will be revealed one by one as they are claimed and paid for!
There is no takeback/refunds if you dont like your winning design, but feel free to resell or trade!

It is a first come first serve, with each roll costing 50usd, with one roll per person for the first 24hrs.


Each design are made with love by ducclord Kamodo030 Vaitael Seagull and Wisparia

Comment below to claim a roll and I'll get in touch asap!

UPDATE: Its been 24 hours so anyone can claim an additional roll!

3/6 Claimed

Hello wonderful Kyvalorians, and happy new year!

This update is a bit different then usual, but it's still important (and exciting in a few ways)! Ultimately this is something that I've been thinking about and wanted to make it so I could remain as transparent and clear to the community as I strive to be!
As many of you probably noticed, either on the site or on my scramblings on the discord we had a big update recently that altered some things on the site where I was running around trying to tie loose ends and fix things up! A lot of the site had issues, and some were harder for me to track down the others. It became something that took longer then anticipated, and I still havent quite fixed everything! With that said, all the fixing and it just being the holiday season, ontop of trying to keep up with making content for updates, I've found myself needing to reflect on the game, my time management, and the longevity of Painted Relics.

Painted Relics is wholeheartedly one of the most important projects I've ever delved into! But with it being so important to me and became something near and dear to so many others, it's honestly been one of the hardest! I always want to make sure I am following through on my word and delivering content that makes the game better, more enjoyable and balanced. But sometimes doing so means that updates dont go as smoothly or as quickly as planned. This results in either me rushing and stressing over an update, or releasing updates that I feel are a little lackluster?

Going into the new year I'm fully hoping to make big strides towards changing that! I want Painted Relics to reflect the love that I pour into this game and as always be a fun and safe space for everyone. With this in mind and the chaotic way that the year started with all the little bugs, there will be no big January update like I had originally hoped, and this month is purely focused on catching up on bugs, cleaning up the site, and getting ahead!

With this in mind, all quests that were going to end on January 10^th, will now be extended till the February update! So you have more chances to get some quests in for the special winter items, more time to explore the manastorm, and more time to attack friends with snowballs!

As always we're brewing stuff behind the scenes, but I felt it would only be fair in exchange for a larger update this month, to have this with the addition of something special!

Onsite Sudoku!

You can now play sudoku on site, and submit onsite automatically!

You can always find the link to this on the navbar under Explore -> Play -> Sudoku !

Please note that is is a beta feature, and therefore might have the occasional bug or error and is not currently optimized for all screen sizes. If you find a bug that prevents you from playing the game, please submit a bug report on site using the bug reports feature. This helps me keep track much easier then discord! Thank you!

Are you're looking to show your reaction to this mini update? Why not try the new emoticons on discord from the lovely Sadbloom ?

And of course, thank you for sticking with us! We know it's been some ups and downs while we sort out what Painted Relics is to be, but we're taking leaps to make this year one of the best!

Snow covered landscapes, ringing of bells and manabone, ice sculptures and warm treats, all wonderful things fitting a winter season!

Winter is here, so sled on it and get ready for all sorts of seasonal exploration! Is it time to bake a wide assortment of goodies and treats for family and friends? Or dive into the hot springs of Keldeep and truly let the warmth wash your worries away? 

It's the start of the winter season in Kyvalore, meaning all new quests from the northwestern heights of Runearyl to the warm lava pools of the southeastern island of Hellmouth have begun!

Every location has a new quest as well as new general seasonal quests! 

Bakken and Avaor have left for the season, but you can once again find Mirassel in your explorations!

Location Adjustments

We've got a few location adjustments to talk about, but most importantly, location rewards!

Previously we had it so if your character had a location they received a location reward for seasonal quests as well. This became tricky for both members and mods to track as there isnt an easy way for it to do so automatically with the system, so we are changing it up!

All seasonal rewards have their own version of foraging which will net you some more standard exploration items, while location rewards will grant you with location specific loot! This will make it easier for mods and members to get the right rewards, while also making location quests feel more worthwhile! 
If you have any unopened foraging bags currently in your inventory, they are also affected by this change!

However with these changes we are also implementing that a location needs to be set for your character in order to complete other quests.

Think of it as your characters intro quest, with a home token as a quest skip! Any quests submitted with a focus character without a set location will be sent back with an ask that they complete their location quest first.

Currency Update

Before we get into the fun bits of the update, I wanted to take a moment to talk about something that makes the game tick, currency!

We are implementing a few changes that aren't to be taken lightly, but we feel as a team that it will help the game feel the cleanest to new and existing players while giving everyone the ability to keep working on building their characters without feeling as stressed about earning special currencies, or feeling like their efforts are wasted of special currencies that are only viable during certain times of the year.

It had been brought to our attention that it was hard during certain times of the year to earn items for events, due to overlapping with school, finals, vacations, or otherwise causing those to miss out without being able to save up any currency beforehand to use during the event. With this adjustment, we are hoping to ease user confusion and stress, while also allowing more flexibility from what you earn!

All event specific currency will be converted into shards, and some event currency will be removed from the game, but you might find them in other ways in the game as items, gear, or special badges in the future!
The event currency being removed are hallow corn, winter essence, enchanted petals, and summer coins. For every one of these currencies you own, you will be receiving 2 shards. So if you own a total of 100 event currencies, you'll receive 200 shards!

Please be patient with me as I push this fix through as each person has to be granted their rewards manually.

Season of SNow Event

In the season of frost and snow, it's a good time to bring warmth to those you hold dear to carry you through the cold and light the way in the long dark nights.

It's the season of giving so why not wrap up something for a friend to make it special?


Participate in an event quest (sudoku doesnt count!) to get special boxes containing winter rewards! (Then again that means you have to open him up... can you do that to that face?)

It's also not a bad time to get out, explore, and play in the snow!
Join in on the sitewide snowball fight! Draw giftart for another member of Painted Relics to redeem rewards, while also throwing them a snowball! There's much to do with these wonderful bundles of snow, so maybe check out the recipes and see what you can make with them!

Who says you cant make your own friends?

Gather enough snow and i'm sure you could even build yourself your very own snowscape!(Winter Wonderland is a useable background for your characters!)
You can read more about Backgrounds and how they work, here.

Have shards to spend and tired of building things in the snow?

The winter caravan is also back in town with lots of seasonal goodies for purchase, so dont forget to take a peak!

If you participate in an event quest (not including sudoku!) dont forget to submit a claim to get your participation badge for the event!

SeasonAL Advents

Can't have the holiday season with special advents!

The Winter Wonderland Advent has started!
Dont forget to claim your gift each day!

And looking to adopt a Kyvalorian?

Keep an eye on sales posts because the adopt advent is ongoing right now!

Cold Brings Delgu Hunger

The chill of winter is felt in all parts of Kyvalore, and it seems to hit hard enough in Talendor to make Princess's appitite even stronger! For the winter season you can feed Princess twice a week.
Dont forget you can share what you feed Princess and what you earn back with others to narrow down what she's particularly hungering for during that month!

Secret Santa

Did you sign up for secret santa?
If you did, dont forget!

You can post your gift starting December 20th, and have until Janurary 14th to turn it in!

Just a quick reminder of the rules in case you need them!
GIFT RULES

• You may post or upload your gift at any point between December 20th and January 14th.
• To receive credit for your Secret Santa gift art, you must submit your work to the prompt on the site between December 20th and January 14th. If you do not submit your work to the prompt on site, we will mark your Secret Santa as incomplete and you may be banned from further Secret Santa events in the future.
• Art gifts must be clean, lined, and colored. Sketches are not permitted. Backgrounds are not required but are encouraged for maximum gift giving fun!
• Writing gifts must be a minimum of 400 words.
• Pixel art entries must be 100x100 pixels in their original (non-scaled) size.
• You should only be drawing one character for your secret Santa giftee. If they have listed more than one, please choose only one.
• You will be able to claim your Secret Santa gift art on the Lorekeeper site for shards plus a bonus 25 shards. Backup artists will be able to claim additional rewards for each piece they complete.

December Sudoku

Ready for another game of sudoku?

We've got another puzzle for you featuring fun winter items!

If you don't know how to play, here is a handy guide to get you started. Complete your puzzle and turn it in here for a prize!

MANA TOUCHED HISTORY

 
Haven't had a chance to jump into the storm yet? 
Don't fret! Mana touched history is still open till January 10th.
Explore the storm and decide Kyvalore's fate.

Seasonal Features

The winner of the November avilli raffle is Lawlie !
Congrats!

Fitting the seasonal items, this months raffle is a winter pet box and a botted winter! Dont forget to submit your entry on the questboard to have a chance and this months prize!

Get Involved!

If you're not part of our discord community, you're missing out!

We have a discord community where we can hangout and chat, talk about our characters, stream (sometimes with sneak peaks!), host extra activities and lots more!

Join our discord!

A Note for the Season

It's the holiday season for not only Kyvalore, but us!

Please have extra patience with the team this season as our time spent away from Painted Relics with our friends and family takes priority! We'll still be around but approvals and answers to questions make take some extra time.

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Adopt Advent Calendar

Winter has descended upon Kyvalore, bringing cold days and colder nights. During these chilly times, why not meet some new friends and share a cup of hot chocolate by a roaring fire? These festive friends will be coming to visit soon!

Each design will be posted onsite on their given day, starting at Noon PST (The time that the site runs on, so you can always check the site clock!)

Please note that each one has different sale prices set by the artist, some are flatsale and some are auction!

Day 17  - Chilled Night

Artist: Vaitael

Avilli
SOLD

----------------

Day 19  - Charming HOlly

Artist: Wisparia

Avilli
Flatsale: 60$

----------------

Day 21  - partridge in a pear tree

Artist: Seagull

Avilli
Flatsale: 60$

----------------

Day 23  - Sweetest Treat

Artist: Wisparia

Voxibell
Flatsale: 60$

----------------

Day 24  - Generous SCROOGE

Artist: Fyre

Voxibell
Auction: $75SB, Capless Auction - All funds will be going to Care for Gaza!

----------------

Day 26  - SNOW SHIMMER

Artist: Sadbloom

Avilli
Flatsale: 40$

----------------

Day 28  - HOLIDAY DELIVERY

Artist: Kamodo030

Avilli
Flatsale: 40$

----------------

Day 30  - heart of winter

Artist: Wisparia

Voxibell
Auction: $75SB, Capless Auction

Autumn is slowly coming to a close, just one month left!
The chill bites a little more in the air, and Hallow is officially over. Fang & Bone have gathered the rest of the Hallow Corn for themselves, though will keep their shop open till the end of the month in case anyone wishes to trade theirs for more goods, and of course will be back again next year for more tricks and treats!

We've got some exciting(and dangerous!) things unfolding this month, so lets jump right in.

Mana Touched History

The next chapter of Kyvalore's Story is here!

Rhea blinked hard and came to a stop as soon as she made eye contact with the clearing. She took a small wincing gasp, breath caught in her throat like a tied knot.  She stood amongst the ruins, a heavy feeling of foreboding in her chest. This was where it had happened. It wasn't visibly as lifeless as the Grave Isles, but it held the same deep twisting mana tunes that gave her unease to be near. This was where Modeous requested her help once before to take care of the werebeast putting her, and Pikk’s, life in danger. Here she stood once again, another call to the greater good, to discover more unearthed history of the world.
The knot in her throat stayed, but she finally managed to breath and take a step forward. She left the cover of the trees and made her way to the base of a stone stairwell, a winding path of dirty stone up to what must have been a modestly grand structure at one point. The remains of great pillars rose at her side before age and wear blunted them, and a large shattered archway waited to greet her at the top.
Making her way slowly through the archway almost felt like passing through a different domain entirely. The farther into the old ruin, the more the weight of mana around her reached out, the air heavy with twisted tendrils grasping and tainted; a curse that had found a friend.

There among the rubble shuffled Modeous, so deep into writing notes and digging through ink stained papers that he didn't even notice Rhea’s nervous approach.
“Professor?” She spoke as she gently knocked on a stone, not wanting to startle him out of his focus.
“Good good! You made it safe I see!” Modeus said joyously without even looking up and completely unaware of Rhea’s struggle to be there. He was pacing, manic almost, like there was something he couldn’t hold in. “I told you there were too many details to explain, so I shall show you!”

Rhea opened her mouth to speak, but Modeous continued on blinded by his excitement of the discovery of the unknown, rambling as he grabbed papers and pens, a book wrapped in royal blue stained leather, and the skull; the one she was gifted from a strange shadow from what felt like so long ago on the Grave Isles.
Modeous’s ramblings stopped and he made a quick nod to Rhea and began to concentrate, paw placed firmly on the old skull.
Suddenly light shone forth as his mana sigil burst into life. Light streaked from the sigil to broken glass, creating fractals and all sorts of colors danced around what was left of the ruined chamber. She would have admired the beauty of it if the circumstances were different, but the mana now had somehow become even heavier, so thick in the air you could almost choke.
The light blared brighter, becoming harder and harder to look at till the chamber and more was consumed.
At some point she had closed her eyes, but she couldn't recall when and for how long, but when she opened her eyes once more, Modeous stood before her. Tall, slender… wrong. It wore Modeous’s clothes, but instead of the dark furred four-legged voxibell, stood a figure on two hind legs, mostly furless. His front paws reached out, manabone now extruding from digits in small but long pointed numbs. Few features remained of the teacher she knew.

“Achievement!” Modeus exclaimed, as he fumbled with his pen as if to take notes on the spot. “I was able to do it! By searching the mana inside of the skull, and prying through the history of the object like a lost tome I forced it to remember! I took it’s memory and attuned myself to it, and found our long lost history! What you see here before me is a much older species that walked the surface of Kyvalore!”

He turned around. Placing the skull down gently onto a stack of tomes. It's eye sockets were dark and empty, but thankfully devoid of the bright, white malice Rhea had expected to see in a moment of panic.

 “What I hold here in what is no longer paws but hands, is the same kind of skull I have now, inside my body. A connection to what was, what used to be! The potential is incredible, this breakthrough cannot be understated! I want to share this with you my studious subject, I want to share this with the world! What wonders we could make, what advancements in history we could uncover, seeing everything in a different light, experiencing life as a whole ancient civilization did! How might we contextualize the ruins of Old Kyvalore by using the bodies of the souls who inhabited it!”

“Please, let me teach you the rites, the proper method to make this primordial magic your own, so that you too can increase your abilities, your possibilities, and your future! Let me share with you this ancient world!”

His voice began to quiver slightly, his speech faster. Manic, almost, in his excitement and need to share the skull's mana. Rhea knew of Kyvalore’s ruinous history, at least what little of it was known. The humanity that took magic and used it to curse the land and lead to its total destruction. The humanity who’s ruins they now inhabit, who’s monsters roam the lands. The humanity, now standing right in front of you, holding an ancient skull. A voice whispered to Rhea, a unique but strangely familiar mana tied to it,.”If you do this, you cannot undo what has been done. There are other ways to gain knowledge.” The soft presence dissipated, and the weight of the Ruin's aura came crashing down upon her once more.

Her gut feeling was just as foreboding as it had always been, but her conviction remained just as strong. History was being discovered and being made at this very moment, and Rhea was determined to be a part of it.

“Do it.” she said, her voice loud as she tried to stay confident in her path. “Teach me how.”

His hands guided her paws to the skull, and he taught her of mana attunement.
She moved her mana, her sigil blared into life and focused her energy, just as Modeus instructed. Rhea pushed herself into the ancient aura of the skull and dug through it’s sea of mana. It sucked like quicksand pulling her ever deeper, then pushed back like a magical barrier trying to stop the intrusion, but Rhea was not to be deterred, and dug deeper. Suddenly, like a door flying open in a gale, the mana of the skull rushed into her own, drowning her in its power.

She wanted to scream, her body twisted and pulsed, her flesh and blood and bone reshaping like quicksilver into a shape it's never known nor was meant to know. The mana filled her utterly, teaching her very soul what she should now look like, without mercy. It was over in an instant, though it felt much longer than that. Rhea was panting hard, and fell to one knee, her eyes closed hard as she processed the pain that she went through to get here and then opened them again. She looked at her paws… no... her hands, as Modeous called them. She was still wearing her clothes and gear. Pikk was thankfully unaffected by the transformation, still in her pouch afraid to emerge before, but now he tried to climb out and check on his friend. She loosened the pouch for Pikk to hop out, then stood up, turning over her arms and looking at her tanned, hairless skin. She gave her wings a little stretch as the breeze began to pick up, feathers and hair twisting in the wind and…
“Ouch!” Rhea exclaimed as she pulled her arm closer to her body. Was this form weak to water somehow? She rubbed her arm gently where the rain had hit her and backed into a farther corner of the ruins, still getting used to the way her body moved. It was heavy, like something more than the body itself weighed her down, and she distinctly felt a slight disconnect from her own mana that she was so used to.
She stared at Modeous, his hands already full of books and bottles of ink, eyes alight with so much wonder. She had so many questions, and he was ready to answer as many as he could.

“So how di-” Rhea stopped and jumped away mid sentence, a loose brick from the already broken ceiling crumbled down, barely missing her as rain billowed through the open gap, each drop burning more than the last. What rain didn't spatter against her skin hit the stone and dirt earth, leaving indents like falling knives. She pushed herself into another covered section of the room and watched with horror as it wasnt her flesh that was weak to rain, but the rain held some otherworldly strength to it.

BOOM

Lighting flashed through the open windows and holes of the ruin and the rain fell even harder. Each raindrop left a gouge in the floor as if the stone slabs were made of nothing more than clay.

CRACK

The lightning struck again, and the sky filled with an unnatural orange hue. It flashed again, again, thrice more before they could manage to compose themselves. Both Modeus and Rhea looked at each other, Rhea worried and scared, Modeous curious but concerned. The wind howled, barreling more shredding rain through the openings, closer to their cover. Another stone fell from above, right behind Modeus, its smashed surface more akin to bleached coral than stone from the downpour.

“I think it's time we made our exit!” Modeus yelled. Rhea nodded her agreement, and together they ran from the splintering chamber. Modeous filled his arms with all the books he could muster from his ruin research site and the old skull of course; while Rhea grabbed Pikk and shoved him deep into her satchel for safety.
“Sorry Pikk,” She muttered while tightening the flap of the satchel closed in hope of keeping the little gribble as safe as she could.

They exited the chamber to a sky of red, orange and purple bursts. Dark clouds surrounded them and wind pushed and pulled in all directions.
“This way!” Modeous yelled, barely able to be heard over the ceaseless storm.
The wind was pushing into them now, stealing their breaths, just as it stole the very life of the forest outside. What was once a dark green tranquil scene when Rhea arrived was now blighted from lances of angry lightning and rain that burned like acid. The trees were dead and dying, leaves suddenly brown where they could be seen; the rain ate away at them just as it did the stone, the trees and the grass. Everything in front of them was dead, devoid of mana, and what still stood was actively being torn apart by the wind, ripped from the earth like tearing fabric. Somehow the wind bellowed even harder.

Jagged chunks of tree trunks and bark circled above them, now carried by a tornado that was forming amidst the storm and all too close in the forest. Rhea was resisting not only the wind with her newfound center of balance, but withstanding the pull of her mana into the magical maelstrom. It was hungry not just for the destruction of the land but the destruction of magic itself, trying to pull Rhea's very essence from her.

“Come on!” Modeus screamed, pointing with an outstretched hand to their left, where this unnatural tornado had obviously started. The ground was barren, brown and lifeless, anything that stood even fractionally tall was gone without a trace.
“It's heading south, so we should move north!”

Rhea nodded and began to run, faster than she had ever ran before. She kept her head low, instinctively flinching whenever something flew too close around her in its orbit. As she ran, she clutched her satchel close as Pikk trembled inside. The sound of the wind was overwhelming, it's all she could do to focus on her sprint to hopeful safety. As she ran, small patches of dead grass and rock found her bare feet and ankles. They sliced at her, gouged at her with razor sharp blades and surfaces melted away to form thorns.

She did not have time to think about the cause of the storm, only to get away and hope with all her might that her friends, her family, and her home would be safe.

Need a refresher of what's happened so far?
You can read more at Rhea's Tale here.

The weight of Mana

Did your character join in on the last story chapter of Kyvalore and either accept or deny attunement to an old skull?
If they did, you may want to check your character's inventory! Something from their journey seems to still sit with them...

Weight of Mana" />

Legacy Questing

Missed out on previous story quests, or want to go back with other characters to experience the story?

The formatting of Legacy Quests is almost done and almost all legacy story quests will be released soon, as well as some special questing where you can only gain access by completing certain legacy quests!

Get ready to delve into the Aetherin Forest and Grave Isles for further discovery.

Of Fog & Fury Finale

Looks like into the final bit of Hallow we really got in there and got Sahmaron knocked back! There's still a few more quests to process for of Fog & Fury that we will be getting to over the weekend. Expect a final tally and a special prize for those that came in swinging and helped drive back the soul eating beast soon.

Secret Santa Sign-Ups

it's that time of the year!

Secret Santa Sign-ups are open! Join in and create art for other members of Kyvalore and get something in return! 

Our Team Grows!

We're excited to announce that we've got a few new members of our team that you've probably already seen around the site approving prompts and character designs, as well as answering in the discord!

ducclord & Newt !


And we've got a great little guest artist team that is already working away creating amazing designs that I can't wait for you to see them soon!

Kamodo030 Seagull Vaitael @Eldritch-Aberrance & fyre

SUDOKU !

We've got another puzzle for you featuring our little autumn friend, the Avaor!

If you don't know how to play, here is a handy guide to get you started. Complete your puzzle and turn it in here for a prize!

Seasonal Features

The raffle from last month as been rolled! Congrats to Lawlie ! Your items have already been sent your way!



Ready for the next one? The next raffle is a perfectly themed autumn avilli designed by our own SeaCrest ! They might even match a certain litle friend... 

You can find the raffle entry submission form on the questboard!

Shop Rotations

Rhea, Fern, and Athalie are updating their shops today! Keep an eye out for their new stock for the remainder of the Autumn season.

Keep an eye out on the Sweet & Savory Shop later this month for a special holiday treat!

Additional Notes

Thank you again for another WONDERFUL Hallow event! I've loved every single sahmaron prompt, and hey... maybe there was some casualties, but nothing we cant recover from right?

We've still got SO much brewing behind the scenes, might want to make sure your character is a bit stronger for what's to come.

Also just a last note that we're getting close to the holidays and exciting things as usual planning little holiday treats behind the scenes, but I do ask that you have a little bit more patience with the staff team during this time, as we want to make sure everyone gets to step away and spend time with friends as family!

And as always, thank you for being you, and being here. <3

-Wisp

Of Fog & Fury

Sahmaron was dealt blow after blow, chased away from towns and deep into the misted forests.
Suddenly it was like he was never there, only the faintest traces of mana, and lost souls torn from the cycle of mana remained.


Sahmaron has been defeated! Lets take a look shall we?

In total we dealt 117 damage to the soul hunting beast, with a total of 45 attacks, we drove the beast back into the wood, hopefully not to return anytime soon.

Everyone that participated at least once in the fight has been granted a special item, the Staff of Souls, as well as a bonus Fog & Fury Background.

I'd like to also take the time to recognize some serious punch with our top three hitters being Kurosul @sporko and SeaCrest , you three have been granted a small bonus prize.

With the success and close of this battle event, I've added a few more stock of werebeast infection and beast vial added to the cash shop in case you missed out! Please keep in mind that this is limited, and these special items will only be in the shop till Dec 10^th as we rotate to the new seasonal stock!

Harvest Dinner

The holidays are here for some, and Saffron has once again prepared a special treat! Hop on over to Savory & Sweet Shop to pick up a Harvest Dinner! I've been told they spoil in a week or so, so make sure you grab your free meal before it's too late!

Secret Santa Sign-ups Close SOON

Sign up for Secret Santa yet?

Sign-ups are closing TOMORROW so make sure you get your name down to join in on the exchange!

Its that time of year for trick or treating!

Once a day knock on Fang & Bone's door to see what you get!
So many hallow treats to be found, or maybe even a trick... happy to win your prize and you come empty handed.

 If you remember to knock once each day for the remainder of the month you could receive a special prize at the end!

Some wait all year for this season. Both good and malicious spirits run about more freely, spirit bonded Kyvalorians more attuned to the world around them through tendrils of mana from spirit to spirit.

Fang & Bone are both more then excited for another season of tricks and treats, sharing their wares, for hallow corn of course, and the spooks that come with the season, but some cant celebrate too much as danger lurks once again among the Umbra Wilds... no. all of Kyvalore...

Of Fog and fury

Autumn rolls over the lands of Kyvalore. The air becomes crisper and sharper, the trees explode in flame blessed hues, the nights darker. AA step deeper into the season, and the enveloping mists, too roll over Kyvalore, through the thick canopied depths of the Umbra Wilds, the red and orange beauty of the Lanris Grove, and even up high embracing the Tree of Life. There's a difference this year, the air thick and dark, shrouding whole swathes of land in an impenetrable blanket. Trade routes are slowed or diverted, hunting parties disbanded, and people gone missing.

Stories begin to circulate about the mist and the strangeness that walks with it. Tales carried like treasures among caravans and travelers, from one town to the next. In Ardglass, the center of all passing trade, the pieces begun to be put together. The mists described in the mountain peaks of Durmur had the same new intensity as those of the Omena Islands. Many afraid to make trips to and from Reim, afraid to get lost at sea. More and more places seemed to be added to this list of afflicted land. Then came reports of people gone missing, unable to be found even after the fog moved on. Stories of quick hulking movement among the shadows. Of a beast. To most, it was a creature of myth, the subject of children's bedtime stories, that somehow stalked through these fields of mists the world over, at the same time. An unlucky few however knew the beast all too well, had stared into it's eyes and had been fortunate enough to live to tell about it. This beast had a name, spoken by panicked spirits the world over to those able to hear them.

Sahmaron.

Sahmaron is haunting Kyvalore once more, and now not restrained to the Umbra Wilds, many Kyvalorians have gone missing and presumed to have met a terrible fate.

A call to action has been sent out, help fight back this monster before it consumes more of the world, but be careful, and try not to get bit!

Ready to take charge?

You can dive into the battle quest with Sahmaron here.

This quest introduces a new mechanic!

Backgrounds - These are new equippable items for your character that give your character a background on their profile! You can read more about Backgrounds and how they work, here.

Hallow Haunt Event

ts that time of year where Hallow's Grove opens it's doors for spooky wares and tasty treats!

You can collect hallow corn through activites and events this month!

To keep things interesting, Fang and Bone have also stocked some new items and recipes for you. Be sure to take a look!

Coming Later this Month

Scavenger Hunt – Now thru October 31^st
Trick or Treat Advent – October 22nd
Hallow Adopt Reveal – October 25<sup>th


By doing event quests during Hallow, your character has a chance to get infected! This gives you the chance to create a werebeast form for your character, or work to remove it to use on another character. Once your character is infected, you are not required to make a werebeast form as you can leave them as a carrier of the curse, or create one later if you wish!
You can read up on the curse of the werebeast, here.

Sometimes you dont quite get enough werebeast mana on your adventures, but you have enough for a small vial...</sup>

Meet the AvAor

Athalie sends her warmest regards, along with cookies and an invitation to tea next tuesday.
So many kyvalorians have gathered together to Athalie's call to help research the new critter.
Meet the Avaor!



Avaor are small timid critters that only emerge in the autumn. Born from the mana of the first rain on a pile of leaves, Avaor can be found anywhere in Kyvalore if you know when and where to look! Their shy quality makes them a hard to find pet as anything that frightens them from loud noise to even just the wrong smell causes them to quickly hide amonst the colors of fall. Finding and taming a avaor is definitely seen as something worthy of bragging due to this!

Autumn Sudoku!

Ready for another game of sudoku?

We've got another puzzle for you featuring fun hallow items!

If you don't know how to play, here is a handy guide to get you started. Complete your puzzle and turn it in here for a prize!

Major Site Update

Character Pages have gotten a huge update!

Every Kyvalorian is unique, and you should be able to show that off! Character pages now display the Kyvalorians inventory and description as well as showing off their companions and equipped gear! This display looks a little different on mobile and desktop in order to optimize it for different screens but all the good things are still there!

Does your character collect anything? Anything they keep on them as a keepsake? What about a favorite snack? You can show it off easily with the new layout! It may even be helpful in time for some mini profile decoration contests coming soon.

Some NPCs even have updated profiles with their own gear, companions, and description so if you're ever looking for an NPC to add into a prompt, there's a good place to start!

With this layout update the max number of pets that a character can hold has been updated to four. Over the next few days if you have more then four pets attached to your character a mod will be swooping through and marking it down to the first four!

This layout update also requires that all Kyvalorians have transparent backgrounds going forward. If you dont have a transparent background on your character right now, thats okay! You can submit a design update for your character to update the image at any time.

Memory of Mana

  Memory of Mana is near it's close, you still ahve a few more hours to submit to the current story quest!

Dont fret if you dont make it in time, as ways to get relic forms, as well as more story quests are just around the corner...

Seasonal Features

The winner of the September avilli raffle is Kurosul !
Congrats!

Fitting the seasonal items, this months raffle is a mutation potion and hallow pet! Dont forget to submit your entry on the questboard to have a chance and this months prize!

Guest Artist and Mod APplications

Guest artist and mod applications are still open for a few more days!

Want to be a staff member of Painted Relics?
Please note that this is a volunteer position, so no real currency will be exchanged, but there are in game benefits to being a staff member of Painted Relics! If you're interested, you can fill out the mod application form here

Not interested in being staff but still looking to get involved? We are also looking for guest artists!
Guest Artists will have the ability to create Kyvalorian adopts for seasonal sales!
You can find more information on how guest artists work in the application here

Shop Rotations

Rhea, Fern, and Athalie are updating their shops today, and Fang & Bone have opened their doors to trade for the seasonal Hallow Corn!

Additional Notes

Theres lots of things this month! Some of it is stuff I've been brainstorming for so long so I am so overly thrilled to finally get to show it to you all.
This time of year is my favorite to theme things after and I'm sure it shows! haha

Sometimes I feel like this little section is silly, but I always want to say each month how much it means to have you here! These last few days working away on character pages to make sure it's the best it can be has been so fun and I'm genuinely so excited to see what you do with this update!
Thank you for your support, you being here and wanting to be a part of Kyvalore means more then I could ever say.

-Wisp