Hail and well met, Elyrians,

Though we usually celebrate our Kickstarter-versary a little earlier in the year, there was no way we were going to let the anniversary pass without taking the time to stop and say Thank You to every one of our supporters. We've come a long way in the time since the original Kickstarter and we will still never forgot the outpouring of support that made it all possible. In that one month span, the Chronicles of Elyria community coalesced around our vision of an online experience that was more than just a game, but a truly dynamic and interesting world, as well. And, since then, the support hasn't stopped. This game is being built as a direct result of that support!

As a way to say thank you to our original backers once more, and to extend that thank you to each and every one of you who has helped us push this dream forward, we're launching an ongoing Kickstarter-versary promotion through the next four weeks. Every player who has a Chronicles of Elyria pledge package by the end of the promotion will receive a suite of gifts from the studio, ranging from unique recipes for treats and adult beverages up to a steadfast and loyal companion for you to take on your adventures! Each gift is a small but heartfelt expression of our gratitude for your continued support!

Last Kickstarter-versary, we set forth a challenge, and wow the community tackled it with gusto, coming together in a show of camaraderie and unity that still awes us, today. So, this year we are putting forth a new challenge, with a new amazing reward, and 8 additional prizes to be had along the way. But those aren't the only rewards we want to give you. As a special thank you, those who participate in the promotional sale each week will receive rare ingredients from distant shores and hard-to-reach ecotopes, ingredients that can be used with exclusive recipes, one of which will be awarded to each player that participates throughout the entire 2019 Kickstarter-versary event. See below for the details!

As we're focusing on the adventure ahead, exploration, discovery, and growth are strongly on our minds. These are the themes of the promotions you'll see as we celebrate your support and the world of Elyria. But a journey into the unknown can only be measured by looking back at where one has been, and this Kickstarter-versary is no exception. Every day, we are bringing back two items from the vault in a special sale. Each item will return to the vault after 24 hours, so be sure to keep an eye out; many rare items that haven't been since they were first offered will be available during their limited windows!

In addition to the rewards and prizes listed below, one more event will occur during the Kickstarter-versary time:

Show Us Your Domain!

During first three weeks of the Kickstarter-versary, any player who has claimed a domain of any size can participate in a contest to "Show us your Domain" - We will accept a short (750 words or less) story about your domain, or an image that depicts your domain in some way. Over the last week of the kickstarter-verary, we will judge the entrants and choose a winner and a runner up for each server from both categories (Stories and imagery). The winners from each category will receive 5000 EP to use to improve their domains and they'll be granted a unique gift from the team in the form of a monument that can be placed in their domain, affecting the domain in a positive way that is themed to the entrant's submission! This is, in essence, a mini-design experience, though the studio is going to pick the monument's final form and its unique benefit. The runners-up in each category will receive 5000 EP to use to improve their domains as well!

To enter post your submission in the fan media forum with "[Show Us Your Domain]" at the start of your post's title. And, please, observe the limit of one entry per domain or settlement holder.

We can't wait to see your domains!

Update 10/4/2019: Since some of you haven't chosen your domains yet and have voiced your desire to participate in this contest, we are extending the cut off for submitting your entries 7 days from the last submission deadline. This sets the new deadline to submit your entry to Monday, October 14th at midnight pacific time.

Ingredients and Recipes from Far Off Shores

Once each week during the Kickstarter-versary event, every player that purchases an item from the promo category or a tournament token from the store will receive two randomly-picked, rare resources. These resources will be from a collection of unusual items gathered from distant shores or hard-to-reach ecotopes. Each ingredient has its own special properties that are passed on to any item they're used to craft and each ingredient is a required element in at least one of 8 exclusive recipes that can be acquired at the end of the promotion: One of these recipes will be awarded to every player that makes at least one qualifying purchase in every week of the promotion. Every ingredient and recipe can be traded to other players, so don't forget to reach out to your fellow community members to get that special recipe or ingredient you need!

2019 Kickstarter-versary Community Reward Milestones:

If total sales reach the indicated amount next to each reward during the Kickstarter-versary celebration, those items will either be unlocked in the store, introduced to the game, or added as a freebie to your inventory. Rewards are only given to those with paid-off pledge packages by the end of the celebration period.

• $40k - Clock - While technically "portable" this mechanical timepiece is perhaps better suited for a desk or a table than a backpack.

• $80k - Rock Lantern - A stout but small iron box with a handle on its top for easy transport, and a removable screw-off lid on its front. When the lid is removed, a small, silvery rock can be seen held in place by iron rods at its top and bottom. On its back is a slot that holds a metal flask containing an alcohol solution - whiskey from the smell. When a few milliliters of the liquor is splashed on the rock in the lantern, it will glow brightly for about an hour.

• $120k - Travel Stone - A rough-cut milky-white crystal. When held up to the eye, the sun can be seen through it even on a dark and cloudy day.

• $160k - EP Store Voucher - You will receive a voucher for a free Profession, Store Front, or Land Use Exposition Kits from the EP Store (does not apply toward limit of 1 per category, per title). Note: This item will be awarded to Bloodline+ pledge package holders, only.

• $200k - Marked Account - Anyone that has a pledge package by the end of the event will receive the "Marked" tag on their account. Marked accounts have an elevated chance of receiving a talent whenever creating a character until a talent is discovered. Note: This item will be awarded to Bloodline+ pledge package holders, only.

• $240k - Ao's Coin - Once, these small metal tokens with a hole through their centers were worn by most of the Qindred faithful but they are a relatively rare sight to be seen hanging from a bracelet or necklace today. The old beliefs taught that each token represented AO's grace, and protected the life of the wearer. Cast in silver and rimmed in copper, it's believed this offering can be used once to buy your way back from true death. Note: This item will be awarded to Bloodline+ pledge package holders, only.

• $280k - Gliders! - Glider technology is added to the game and available at launch. Glider Kit added to the store for the remainder of the promotion.

• $320k - Cannibalism - Drasean naturalists discover that consuming the remains of deceased (perma-dead) mann can increase one's longevity at the expense of reputation and affinity.

• $360k - Astral Dreaming - Janoa masters long ago discovered the secret to entering the astral plane as they sleep. If you can find a master of this art and learn from them, this secret can be yours as well.

Thanks to you smashing the milestones very early on, we've added additional ones to achieve (including a few you already have!).

• $380k - Hunter's Cloak - Made of a thick weave of oiled fibers, this cloak is both protection against the rain and camouflage for hunters in the wilds. The hunter's cloak is reversible and dyed in a different pattern on each side. On one side, a pattern in shades of green that seems to mimic both leaves and grasses, perfect for summer & spring or the more lush biomes of Elyria. The other side is dyed in shades of Fall -- blotchy tans and browns -- to better blend in with more arid climates. When worn, the cloak makes it much easier to hide one's visual presence, but it will not mask the sounds you make.

• $420k - Double Rare - For the remaining weeks of the event, every package holder that earns a rare ingredient award will instead receive double the normal amount of ingredients awarded!

• $480k - Hot House - Ever ingenious, Kypiq tinkerers have discovered ways to keep the heat of Angelica's light trapped within a room using thin sheets of mica or oiled rice paper to create primitive greenhouses! This technology can be learned and applied to constructions in any biome.

• $560k - Seed Your Destiny - Take hold of the threads of fate and play an active part in shaping your character's destiny! During the character creation process you will be able to use story points to indicate your desire for certain types of story arcs to the Story Engine. As a bonus, all Bloodline+ package holders will be able to use this system for free during Exposition!

• $660k - Subterranean Volcanic Ecotope - In some places in Elyria, the water boils out of the ground hot and sulfurous. Beneath these locations, a secret lies: Rivers and lakes of molten rock flow through the underground, heating the water above. This complex chemistry creates rare minerals and reveals rare ores, for those intrepid enough to dig to find them and hardy enough to return alive. (Subterranean Lava Ecotopes will be included throughout the starting continent of your server)

• $780k - Adventure Islands - Most sailors know that small islands lay just out of view on the horizon; some even have maps to the islands they have visited. But those who have sailed furthest, before storm tossed waters and dangerous shoals forced them back, report seeing larger islands on the horizon, shrouded in mists, murky nights punctuated by eerie cries growing louder as they approached. Are these undiscovered lands unspoiled paradises waiting to be discovered, or monster-infested hellscapes meant to try the souls of mann? (Greater islands will be added at the farthest edges of sailable territory, waiting to be discovered by those skilled and brave enough to survive the attempt)

NOTE: All of these reward milestones will end at 12PM (noon) PDT on the final day of the promotion.

Something Special for You!

And don't forget: Each week of the promotion where you buy at least one promotional item you'll receive two rare crafting ingredients you won't be able to find easily on your starting continent. These ingredients are used in special recipes, and players that purchase an item in each week of the promotion will receive one of these recipes at the end of the event!

Finally, as a special thank you for your support, every player with a paid off pledge package will receive a suite of gifts at the end of the end of the promotion, containing:

• Versary Monkey - A rare sight, even in the tropical rainforests they typically call home, Versary monkeys are highly sought after pets and companions. Famed for their trainability, Janoa hunters have been known to use them as harassers on the hunt, while less... reputable folks have been known to train them to cut purses and pick pockets. But whether you need a pet that can fetch items for you while crafting, or you need a partner in crime and combat, Versary Monkeys can fill that need.

• Infinity Oracle - A relic of a lost age, this polished, black, stone orb bares the symbol of the infinite inlayed in onyx against a disc of milky, white quartz on its top. If the orb is turned to see its bottom, a small window of clear cut crystal reveals a murky interior. When asked a question, the smokey, murky, interior will clear momentarily to reveal a phrase, an answer to the question. Many argue the Oracle's ability to truthfully answer the question posed, but there are times when its responses seem like prophecy, and even more intriguing, no one knows how they work or how they were constructed: the knowledge has been lost in the haze of history.

• A Round on Us - Each player with a game package by the end of the event will receive a voucher good for a round of drinks at any legendary tavern! Just enter the tavern and use the voucher and the tavern will immediately gain enough ingredients to mix its signature drink for everyone currently in the tavern.

But wait, there's more!

During our previous Kickstarter-versaries, backers were eligible to receive a veritable cornucopia of prizes and awards.

Everyone who was a backer by the end of last year's celebration will receive these items in their inventory:

• Kypiq Party Pack - Everything you need to join the Kypiq as they entice the sun back into the sky during the Sunsight festival: three packets of glowing Kypiq Star Powder, a slingshot to launch them into the sky, and a Kypiq noisemaker to really bring the party home.
• Purebread Horse & Pattern - No one really knows when the first Purebread horse came prancing out of an Elyrian oven but, ever since, the purebread horse has been a delicacy across all of the known world. Adorably tasty and great for sandwiches!
• Pack bonuses - Each currently owned
• Adventurer's Pack gets a Basic Camping Kit (Bedroll, Traveler's Mess Kit, Flint, Tarp, 10 meters of rope)
• Founder's Pack gets a portable Astrolabe, a star map, and a codex of basic navigation (Pathfinding & Wayfinding Handbook)
• Merchant's Pack gets an Uncommon Writing Set (crystal ink phial and silver nibbed quill), local market report, and codex of basic Appraisal (The Savvy Merchant's Guide to Appraisal)
• Special Title - Title: the Venerable Description: There's just something about you that seems to go way back. Maybe you've got wisdom beyond your years or your lineage goes way back but, either way, you're unmistakable! Effect: All your fame gained is increased by 10% for the character this title is used on.
• Mystery Gift - The label says "Do not open until launch" in Pyqsi, the language of the Kypiq. It's heavy, which begs the question of what's inside, but we don't suggest opening it early. And for your own good, don't try to shake it to hear what's inside!
• Extra Soul Pack with an Old Soul - The soul pack contains three random souls, ready to enter the world Elyria with the power of your spark of life. Activating a character requires both a soul and a spark of life, but the soul will develop and learn skills when used each lifetime. One of the souls in this pack has lived more than one lifetime in Elyria and comes to you with the experience and skill ramps to prove it.

We'll be awarding these items throughout the event, so expect these things to hit your inventory by the conclusion of this year's Kickstarter-versary.

Additionally, we've named the winners from the Token Contest that ran during our 2017 Kickstarterversary.

Villager Token Contest Winners

Prize: The Mayor with the most Villager Tokens (per server) is guaranteed to have a major story event occur in their settlement!

Congrats to:

• Angelica (NA-W): Xeyska
• Luna (NA-E): Sneezewortt
• Selene (EU): Daedhel
• Oceanus (OCE): Alleykat

Guild Token Contest Winners

Prize: The Mayor with the most Guild Tokens will see their organizations written into the lore and history of Elyria!

Congrats to:

• Angelica (NA-W): Narkari
• Luna (NA-E): Sneezewortt
• Selene (EU): ALMOUSA
• Oceanus (OCE): Valegor

We have been working hard to bring you Chronicles of Elyria, but we cannot say Thank You strongly enough to you! Whether you backed us during the Kickstarter, or have joined the community since, your support is what makes this possible. We cannot do this without you! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Look for the first weekly post with info on the new items that will be offered as well as the schedule of items coming back from the vault that week!

Sincerely,

The Soulbound Studios Staff