Update 23/01/2026

Hi everyone,

I honestly can’t believe it’s been over three weeks since I last posted. I hope the New Year has been kind to you so far.

I went into January fully expecting to have the time and headspace to concentrate on the story almost full-time… but, as life tends to do, it had other ideas. Nothing bad or dramatic — just a series of unexpected details and distractions that kept nudging me off course and breaking momentum.

What I do want to explain properly is how this story has grown.

What originally started as a fairly short, linear VIP bonus has evolved into a fully choice-based story with multiple paths. That change alone meant going back and reworking large sections of dialogue, reshaping character traits, and making sure choices actually mean something rather than just branching for the sake of it. More renders, more dialogue, more nuance — and a much deeper focus on who these characters really are.

I initially thought those changes would be fairly quick to implement. They weren’t.

As the work progressed, it became clear that this story simply couldn’t be resolved cleanly in a single chapter without cutting corners or rushing character development. It has now grown into a multi-chapter side story — likely up to four chapters — designed not only to stand on its own, but to properly set these characters in place for their roles within the wider Shaddolands arc.

The good news is that it is developing really nicely. Chapter One is essentially complete and now just needs refinement and polish before it’s ready to launch. That refinement matters to me — tone, pacing, dialogue, and character consistency all need to land properly, especially with the direction this story is taking.

I've shared some sneak peeks below so you can see where things are heading.

Thank you, genuinely, for your patience and continued support. I’d rather take the time to get this right than rush something out that doesn’t do the characters — or the story — justice.

More soon, and speak again shortly.

— Shaddo