ARCADIA | Issue 26

Wow. Just wow. I love everything about this gorgeous cover, from the color palette (note how the highlights of the dragon match the shadows of the elf’s outfit!) to the brushstrokes on those cascading pools of water. I want to live in this painting. Wow.

The Nocturne Market by Kat Kruger with art from Clara Daly and Nikki Dawes
When the sun dips below the horizon and the stars appear in the sky, the Nocturne Market begins. This lively night market travels across the planes to a new location each evening, bringing entertainment, delicious food, and magical goods available for barter. This drop-in location (literally!) is perfect for a night off from the stressful business of saving the world—though a kigurumi of wild shape or a lucky stars tattoo might come in handy.

The Aurum Court by Amber Litke with art from Jason Hasenauer
Creating a fun, engaging political intrigue plotline is a challenge as a GM, but (as fans of The Chain well know) it’s especially rewarding for players who enjoy having lots of agency, roleplaying with NPCs, and, you know, deciding the future of an entire kingdom.

“The Aurum Court” is a location and scenario with five key NPCs (all illustrated by our own lead artist Jason Hasenauer!) who each have their own intertwining goals and machinations when it comes to crowning the next monarch of Dhustrad. Everything comes to a head at the Gilded Gala, when—no matter who the players support—they can dance with their friends and enemies, foil the fiendish plots of [redacted], and prevent [redacted] from poisoning [redacted]. All the intrigue, but no spoilers here!

Killer Pursuit by JB Little with art from Nikki Dawes and Alex Ngo
A group of individuals matching the party’s descriptions are accused of murdering Hierophant Dara Everflame (or [insert your local holy leader here]). But for once, the player characters weren’t responsible for this untimely death! The party must race through the city to find the real killer and clear their names in this whodunnit short adventure.