With Halloween here, I wanted to spend this month's update introducing the kingdom that shares its name. If you're new to BooneBerry Press, welcome! This is the first of what I hope will be many updates about the world I'm building, the characters who live in it, and the work going into bringing the campaign to the table.

Welcome to Halloween

When you hear Halloween, you probably picture haunted houses, ghosts, monsters, or something waiting to jump out of the dark. You'll recognize some of those influences in Holiday, but the Halloween Kingdom isn't a place where everyone spends their days trying to frighten visitors. It's a kingdom with its own history, traditions, people, and way of life.

Beyond its towns and villages, Halloween is a land of old stone buildings, timber-framed homes, winding roads, and forests that can feel very different once the light begins to fade. Pumpkins have their place here, but they're part of the kingdom's fields and traditions rather than decorations scattered everywhere.

Imagine growing up somewhere that outsiders might find unsettling. The things they consider frightening are simply part of your everyday life. The strange creatures, unfamiliar customs, and places others might hesitate to enter are things you've known since childhood.. The strange creatures, unfamiliar customs, and places others might hesitate to enter are things you've known since childhood. You might even find it odd that anyone would be afraid of them. To someone who lives there, being called a monster might be a rather strange accusation. They have families, responsibilities, disagreements, traditions, and things they care about protecting.

Halloween doesn't exist in isolation. It's one of four kingdoms that share a larger world, with relationships and histories that extend well beyond their own borders. Of course, that doesn't mean Halloween is harmless. Some of its dangers are very real, and there are places even the locals would rather avoid. I want players to experience both sides of that kingdom: the unfamiliar and unsettling, but also the ordinary lives happening beneath it all. There will be plenty of mysteries to uncover when the time comes, but for now, I hope this gives you a better idea of the kind of place Halloween is meant to be.

Meet Mavren Gourdgrave

Every kingdom in Holiday has its ruler, and Halloween is no exception. Meet Mavren Gourdgrave, the Gloaming King and Lord of the Last Lantern. His titles carry a history of their own, though I'll leave that for another time.

I've been working with illustrator Tanya Podolskaia to bring Mavren to life. We've gone through several sketches and revisions, working to capture both his connection to Halloween and his presence as a ruler.

I'm happy to finally share the completed portrait.

Illustration by Tanya Podolskaia (@sorcerix_art)

I've also written a short story called The Voices Beyond the Road, set before the events of the campaign. It's a chance to meet Mavren at an earlier point in his life, before the world reaches the state players will encounter in The Shattered Cheer. I've prepared a short excerpt for this newsletter, which you can read on the BooneBerry Press website.

The full story will receive its own release later, once it's ready. For now, I hope you've enjoyed this first look at Halloween's ruler.

A Little News from Behind the Scenes

The artwork isn't the only part of Holiday getting attention right now. The campaign is currently going through another editorial pass where we're reviewing the story, encounters, and the way information is presented to Game Masters. We're also working hard on getting The Road to Everfest back into circulation.

For those who haven't heard of it, The Road to Everfest is a standalone introductory adventure designed to give players an early experience of the setting. I've temporarily paused public playtesting and convention appearances while we revise it. The goal is to make the adventure work better both as a standalone experience and as an introduction to the larger campaign. Getting it back into players' hands is one of my priorities. In the meantime, the artwork, worldbuilding, and ruler short stories are continuing to move forward.

Looking Toward November

Halloween is only one part of Holiday and with Thanksgiving approaching, I'll be turning some attention to another of the four kingdoms in the next newsletter. I'm also hoping to share more of the commissioned artwork and the short stories being developed alongside the campaign.

Thanks for reading and for taking an interest in Holiday while it's still taking shape. Whether you've been following BooneBerry Press for a while or you've only just discovered the project, I appreciate you being here.