The dread-pirate Ildrum von Shroud and the crew of the flying ketch Sky Shadow have been plundering ships passing through the Crystal Sea for years. But this time he’s gone too far; stealing from the powerful Celestial Academies who control magic in the Free Territories. Now there’s a price on his head big enough to tempt you and your crew to brave the dangers of the Crystal Sea once more.

Raiders of the Crystal Sea is a tabletop role-playing game about a crew of rogues, outcasts and explorers who try and make a buck running cargo across a snow-filled wilderness, exploring spell-scarred ruins and trading with isolated communities. If you can contend with the fierce magical storms, junker pirates, cannibal cults and restless dead you just might make enough to put food on the table and survive another day.

There’s talk of good tidings ahead. A celebration, they’re calling it. The dawn of a new era. The birth of an heir.

Officially, the Young Emperor has no spouse and no recognised heir. That has not stopped the people of the Verdelline Empire from spreading rumours about him and the good Lady Stolas, one of his most trusted advisors, as she is soon to have a child. Many people would point out that there is no evidence of any dalliance between the two, but what good is a wet blanket in the face of a juicy scandal?

Of course, there are more important things for people to worry about than whether or not some young man with a nice chair is about to become a father.

The past year and a half has been fraught with tension, with politics being less and less a matter of talking or warfare and more a matter of making one’s enemies simply… disappear. The air is thick with blood and magic, but only if you know where to look.

And, even so, the Young Emperor wishes to make a show of peace. He says he wishes to welcome the child of Lady Stolas into the world with a party like no other. He says he wishes to see better days ahead. Those wishes might just come true— if his enemies don’t come for him first.

Empty Vessels: Inheritance is a Renaissance-themed high-fantasy, high-intrigue game set in the world of Empty Vessels. It takes place one and a half years after the events of EV: Omens, but no prior knowledge is required to play.

Nexus: jewel of the Scavenger Lands. Though precious, it is a jewel is stuck in the earth, covered in dirt and eroded from the worms and the other vermin who live in the mud. Every time someone tries to dig the jewel up and wash off the mud, they usually find out the vermin have teeth. Nexus has too many stakeholders and schemers who don’t want their muck exposed. From Guildsmen to Anathema, Nexus is a safe bet to find a scheming source of trouble or a hidden Exalted hero. Even the gods of Nexus aren’t above the petty personal power plays.