The Tale of the Bogatyr and the Sluagh
over 1 year ago
– Tue, Apr 01, 2025 at 09:16:23 AM
The mist seeped through Vetrenaya like ghostly fingers, bringing with it an unnatural cold that gripped the hearts of its restless denizens. Janek, an honest, rugged man and Vetrenaya’s lone blacksmith, stood at the edge of the settlement; hammer over his shoulder, a flickering torch in his hand. He could sense that something evil was creeping in the deep dark of night, a peril unfamiliar to the lands of Zamanora. This newfound threat was emerging from beyond the sacred woods, or even the Veil itself. Word of spectral horrors befalling nearby settlements had already reached his ears: deathless ravagers, drunk on the souls of fallen warriors, leaving behind naught but empty husks.
As the mist thickened, shapes began to manifest — twisted and ethereal forms, once resembling mortal folk, now stirred to unlife by unholy powers. The horde was standing at the threshold, ready to collapse upon Vetrenaya and snuff its life out. They were the Sluagh and, from within their midst, a towering specter emerged, eyes that burned with cobalt hunger, bearing an axe drenched in rust — an old weapon, much like Janek himself. The monster growled, its voice like a dirge through a graveyard.
Janek tightened his grip on his hammer, and planted his feet firmly in the soil that birthed him. He was Bogatyr: regardless of the foe that stood before him, he would not back down. “Turn back,” he said, as if replying to the monster’s bitter call, despite the fear that was crawling under his skin.
In a cacophony of maddening laughter, like nails against cold hard stone, the swarm of the undead rejected his courage. If there was any hope to be found in Vetrenaya come dawn, it would have to be earned by blood and iron. “So be it,” he whispered, more to himself than to the enemy, as he dropped his torch to the ground. A ring of fire suddenly ignited around them, lighting up the night, as Janek’s torch ate through the oil that was poured on the ground, revealing the true heart of Vetrenaya. Men and women rose from behind Janek, armed with pitchforks, scythes, and sickles. This was not to be a battle for glory, but one of survival instead, as the Zamanori would measure their mettle against the nightmarish horde of the Sluagh.
Collaboration with ZAMANORA: Ballad of the Witch!
This little tale of courage and adversity was a collaborative work between Old Oak Games and our friends at The Eren Chronicles. These talented creators were inspired to create the Bogatyr Fighter, as well as dozens of other unique subclasses, grotesque creatures, and mysterious locations based on Balkan and Slavic folklore! By having the Bogatyr face down the terrifying Sluagh, we wanted to show our communities how our two projects — Beyond the Woods and ZAMANORA: Ballad of the Witch — share many similarities:
- Both are flexible and customisable settings, which a GM can drop in as unique locations within the world.
- They are inspired by European folklore.
- Both supplements showcase a wide array of monsters and character options that promise to add new depth to your campaigns.
- And both are compatible with D&D 5e and D&D 2024.
If that sounds good to you, you can support our friends by following this link!
Stretch Goal Unlocked: New Talents!
over 1 year ago
– Sun, Mar 30, 2025 at 09:16:59 AM
Dia dhaoibh a chairde, hello friends!
We just hit €125k which means we’ve smashed through another stretch goal! Not a bad way to end the week! With this new stretch goal unlocked we’ve unlocked 10 new Talents for the Beyond the Woods Core Rulebook! In case you missed it, Talents allow for greater customisation and choice as you create and level up with your character. They’re roughly equivalent in power to half a feat (Beyond the Woods also has feats, but Talents are smaller, more flavourful boons that your character can acquire). For example, the Talent The Whole Beast grants you additional food when you successfully hunt and butcher an animal.
Our next stretch goal is unlocked when we reach €150k, and it’ll unlock a new guest writer and add a third new adventure to the Tír Nascath Setting Guide. Our next guest writer is Gary Moloney, an incredibly talented Irish comic book writer and editor. Gary recently released an awesome Irish-inspired comic called When the Blood Has Dried, which you should definitely check out if you’re a fan of Irish folklore (which we’re guessing you are if you’re reading this!).
We have a little over a week to go on the campaign, so please be sure to share Beyond the Woods far and wide so we can unlock our €150k stretch goal — and more!
As always, thanks for all of your incredible support!
Sláinte
New Lineages Concept Art
over 1 year ago
– Wed, Mar 26, 2025 at 08:37:43 AM
Hello all!
We are now at the half way point in the Kickstarter and half just over two weeks to go! Thank you all for your incredible support, and remember to share the campaign with anyone you think would be interested so we can unlock even more stretch goals!
Today we wanted to share a look at some of the concept art for some of the new Lineages you’ll find in Beyond the Woods. All of these were created by the amazing Clara-Marie Morin.
Aos Sí
The Aos Sí are faerie folk from beyond the Ballarainn Mountains to the north of Céad Darach. Their connection to the Otherworld allows them brief glimpses into the world beyond ours.
The Aos Sí are very close in origin to typical fantasy elves. This is because it is believed that JRR Tolkien based his elves on the Aos Sí from Celtic and Irish myth. We wanted the Aos Sí to feel familiar but also unique in their own way, and have a real otherworldly feel about them, rather than just being humans with pointed ears. Clara-Marie achieved this by adding crystal-like markings to their bodies, iridescent features, and designing their hair to be one long piece rather than strands, almost like flowing silk.
Baloran
Baloran are descendants of the legendary Fomorian warrior Balor. The Fomorians were said to be monstrous and darkly beautiful creatures that dwelled beneath the earth and waged war on the people of Tír Nascath millennia ago. Balor was the greatest of all Fomorians, and his gaze, or “evil eye”, was said to wreak destruction wherever it fell.
Fomoroians are closely tied to the sea but were originally said to come from under the earth, so we explored the Baloran being tied to roots and rock, and having veins of glowing ore running through their skin. There are conflicting tales as to whether Balor had a single eye, like a cyclops; two eyes, one of which was “evil”; or a third eye that would open to reveal itself. Clara-Marie incorporated the idea of a third eye — placing it in the Baloran’s necks!
Púca
Púca are shape-changing fae creatures from The Otherworld. Most Púca find their way to Tír Nascath accidentally, stumbling through faerie rings or emerging from portals deep in the wilds of the Cuilchemar. Once there, they often decide to stay, enjoying the freedom and mischief it offers them. Púca have the ability to take on the form of a horse, hare, and other creatures and critters.
For the Púca, we wanted them to be a little closer to faeries and sprites, but with animalistic features like whiskers and fur. Initially they were quite varied in shape and a little more bestial. In the end we settled on a more humanoid design, keeping them more closely in size to a halfling or gnome. Púca can have a wide variety of appearances, as you can see from the artwork!
We hope you enjoyed this look into the designs for some of the new lineages. Please drop any questions you have below, or share which of these three is your favourite (don’t forget, we also have the Changeling and human-like Daoine!).
Don’t forget to join the Discord, and follow us on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook!
Thank you again for all your amazing support!
Stretch Goal Unlocked: New Adventure by Elaine Lithgow!
over 1 year ago
– Sat, Mar 22, 2025 at 03:28:37 AM
WE JUST HIT €100k! Thank you all so much for your incredible support. This means that Elaine Lithgow will be lending her considerable talents to Beyond the Woods and creating a new adventure for the Tír Nascath Setting Guide. Elaine is a fantastic adventure writer and I can’t wait to see what she cooks up.
Our next stretch goal is €125k and will add 10 new Talents. What are Talents? Glad you asked! Talents allow for greater customisation and choice as you create and level up with your character. Talents are roughly equivalent in power to half a feat — for example, they might grant you proficiency in a new type of armour, but they won’t give you the ability score bonus you get with the Lightly Armoured feat from standard 5e. Beyond the Woods also has feats, but Talents are smaller, more flavourful boons that your character can acquire to give them a leg up on their explorations.
Thank you again for your amazing support! Be sure to join the discord and follow us on socials here.
Professor Primula's Portfolio of Palaeontology
Our good friends over at PalaeoGames just fully funded their next major project: Professor Primula's Portfolio of Palaeontology!
Written by scientists and filled with real science, Professor Primula's Portfolio of Palaeontology brings heaps of new dinosaur and palaeontology-themed content to your game worlds. Already over 1000% funded, you can expect to find:
- 80 new prehistoric creatures, from titanic dinosaurs to weird and wonderful fish – everything is covered!
- 6 new playable prehistoric-themed races.
- 4 new prehistoric-themed subclasses.
- 4 holistic environments – real fossil sites and their real plants & animals for an immersive setting.
- 16 real fossil plants with interactive rules.
- Systems for harvesting fossils and running a museum.
- Systems for “Skull Island” and time travel butterfly effects.
- Heaps of NPCs.
- Introductions to the real science behind this content.
- And much, much more!
Check it out HERE and see how this amazing palaeontological content can both educate and entertain!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
over 1 year ago
– Mon, Mar 17, 2025 at 03:21:24 AM
Happy St. Patrick's Day! The team here are having a well-earned day off and enjoying the celebrations today, but we’ll be back bright and early tomorrow morning!
Drop any questions below and let us know how you'll be celebrating Paddy's Day! And if you're looking to learn a little Irish today, check out the pronunciation guide in the Quick Start here.
Sláinte!
