Chương 32: Update

Hey folks! First off, thank you so much for reading, commenting, rating, following along, and giving this story a place in your day. I hope you've been enjoying the journey so far, and I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who has taken the time to spend a few chapters with Shaya and her friends, new and old, as they stumble, struggle, scheme, learn, and grow. I wanted to give a quick update about the release schedule going forward.

Up until now, I've been posting daily updates, but I'm going to be shifting to a five-day-a-week schedule, with new chapters going up Monday through Friday. The story will still be updating regularly, just with weekends left open. Part of that is practical, of course. A slightly lighter schedule gives me a bit more breathing room to make sure the chapters are in good shape, keep the story moving the way it deserves, and avoid burning through the buffer too quickly.

I want to keep this serial consistent for the long haul, and I think a Monday-to-Friday schedule will help make that possible. As a longtime veteran of tabletop RPGs like Pathfinder and D&D, a lot of the themes at the heart of this kind of storytelling are very near and dear to me. Found family. Learning from mistakes. Growing through adversity.

Picking yourself up after failure, dusting yourself off, and trying again with a slightly better plan, a few more scars, and maybe one friend standing beside you who wasn't there before. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Those themes are a huge part of why I love fantasy, why I love roleplaying games, and why I love writing stories like this one.

There's something special about watching characters begin as strangers, rivals, screw-ups, outcasts, or people who simply aren't ready yet, and then seeing them become something stronger together. Maybe wiser. More determined. More willing to rely on each other. That's the kind of spirit I'm trying to bring into this story, and though its early days, I hope it's coming through.

^_^ This weekend, fittingly enough, I'll be playing some Pathfinder 1st Edition, and I'm very much looking forward to rolling dice, making questionable tactical decisions, and seeing what sort of chaos the party gets itself into. Hopefully the dice are kind. Or, failing that, hopefully the disasters are at least entertaining. While I absolutely love the memories of epic victories over great evil, some of my favourite moments are when things just devolve into absolute insanity.

Nail-biters to see if the party even survives or thwarts the villain's plans. When we made a wrong call (... or two) and tumble ass over tea-kettle through our poor life choices. When the GM gets as nervous as the players when dice get sadistic. But don't worry, while I've totally written out stat blocks and resolved some encounters in the story through the dice rolls, I'm not looking to write a dark fantasy that springs a character death on you. Thank you again for reading and for being here.

New chapters will continue Monday through Friday, and I'm excited to keep sharing the adventure with you. Have an awesome weekend and I'll see you on Monday! When you'll get to read about Shaya's discussion with Bari about slitting her throat..:) Cheers!