Crimson Veil News

Hey, everyone! Got some exciting progress to share from this week’s update!

Basilisk's Hollow is taking shape! This upcoming dungeon is steeped in eerie history—it was once a bustling mine carved into a mountainside. Now? It’s a chilling graveyard of stone, where the gorgon Kyless left her mark with her petrifying gaze.



Speaking of Kyless, huge shout out to the talented loge for creating her stunning sprite! Here’s a sneak peek—doesn’t she look amazing? Thank you for breathing life into her!



Over on the character side, I wrapped up Nimue’s portraits! As a dryad, her look was a fun challenge. I drew inspiration from dried wood tones to reflect her nutrient-starved state—poor thing just needs the right fertilizer to bear fruit… She contrasts beautifully with Marina, the vibrant Alraune from an earlier quest.



Want to see all of Nimue’s expressions? My $5+ patrons can dive into her full portrait set now over on Patreon:

patreon.com/MKRUdesign

That’s it for this week—more updates coming soon! Thanks for following along, and let me know what you think in the comments. Until next time!

I hope all who celebrate enjoyed Thanksgiving and hopefully their day or two off! Mine turned out better than I expected in the end, though it ended up still being a rather busy weekend since I was helping my sister prepare for her baby shower. My day job was pretty dead though which allowed me to bring in my laptop to get a bit of map making done. I’ve drafted a layout of the newest dungeon, Basilisk's Hollow. The map isn’t very fleshed out at this time, but I should have some screenshots available by next week.

I’ve also started working on some character sprites, although I’ve run into some trouble finding a good reference for a Gorgon sprite. Again, the hair itself is rather complicated and I haven’t found any RPG Maker character gen packs that include what I’m looking for. I’ll probably have to draw the sprite by hand, which I’m not looking forward to… Anyone know where I could find some good sprite references for a Gorgon?

I also finished working on the art for the latest Pet you’ll be able to earn in this update, Liora! When working on these party members, I try to add something to their design to make them stand out from one another. With Liora, I knew I wanted to give her wavy/messy hair from the get-go. But her color scheme is also unique from the party line-up. Her primarily magenta clothes and aqua accents I think look quite appealing. What do you think?



My $5+ patrons can check out all her character expressions as well as her vampire form right after this post goes live.

https://www.patreon.com/c/MKRUdesign

I also want to share this sick Alexandria commission from the artist Hornyx!


I think she captured Alexandria’s danger and allure perfectly! Please go check out her work! I think her commissions might still be open if you are interested!

Twitter Bluesky Patreon

That’s all I have for you this week. Until next time, everyone!

This week has been a productive one! I’ve started drafting sketches for the next dungeon’s layout: Kyless’ Gorgon Lair. Alongside that, I’ve been working on the dialogue and quest outline to ensure I capture all the details I want to include. While it’s still early in development, I’ve completed the first scene, where Eve explains her plight to Mila and shares a cherished keepsake.



The keepsake is a much older photo than the one Bianca gives Mila in the Hunter route. I wanted the photograph to reflect its age while also introducing Eve’s younger sister, Effie.


For my $5+ patrons, Effie’s full character illustrations will be available after this post—be sure to check them out!

https://www.patreon.com/c/MKRUdesign

Today I also sketched out some character designs! However, I feel like these look a bit basic. I plan to adjust the proportions and details once I start working on the digital lines and color. What do you think of them



Looking ahead, I’m hoping to carve out more time to work on the game this week. With Thanksgiving coming up and things slowing down at my day job, it feels like the perfect opportunity.

Thanks for tuning in, and I’ll see you all next week!

Apologies for the late post! I ran into an issue yesterday on the highway while returning home from my sister’s place. My car stopped accelerating in the middle of traffic! I avoided getting into an accident and managed to safely pull over and wait for my car to get towed. I had no idea what happened to it until I took it to the shop today. The fuel pump apparently short circuited, which caused me to slow down to a stop. Thankfully, everything was still under warranty, so the worst is behind me (I Hope). I appreciate your patience and understanding with the delay. Without further ado, here is the latest update!

Big thanks to everyone who participated in Contract Contest #11, both the voters and anyone who submitted their ideas! The contest has come to a close and the winner has been chosen. The next contract will be “The Daughter of Darkwood” by RobTheNomad! Congratulations to them! I’ll begin working on the art and start sharing some of it in next week’s update!

Speaking of art, that’s what I’ve been focusing my time on. This week I finished the colors and expressions for the new Gorgon character, Kyless. You can check out a preview of her here:



My $5+ patrons can check out the uncensored version as well as her other expressions.

Working on facial expressions is one of the most engaging parts of the creative process for me. So much of a character’s personality is brought to life during this stage. After refining the expressions needed for specific scenes, I like to experiment by sketching a variety of expressions to see what emerges. Sometimes, it feels like I can almost hear the character’s voice in my head, and their mannerisms and actions just come naturally. I get the sense that I understand Kyless much better now, as well as Effie, the character that I am currently working on. I'll have plenty more to share with you in the following weeks as we are still early in this update cycle.

https://www.patreon.com/c/MKRUdesign

I also want to share that this is the first update that I will be sharing on BlueSky as well. If you are interested in following me there, you can find my link here:

MKRU's BlueSky Profile

Thanks for checking in this time! Until next Sunday everyone!

Despite a tumultuous week, I greatly appreciate everyone who submitted their contract ideas for the contest. Throughout this week, my 5$+ patrons will be able to vote on which idea they would like to see added to the game. The first round is available now, so go vote!!
https://www.patreon.com/c/MKRUdesign

Here is the bracket!



Please be sure to get your vote in quick as each round will end At 6 PM the following day. Check back each day for the next round. The winner will be announced in next week’s update. You can read each of them at the link below:


Contract Contest 11 Contestants

For the second quest in this update, Eve will leave a contract for Mila once you've completed a certain number of tasks. This quest is deeply personal to Eve, as she has long been searching for her younger sister, Effie.



For years, Eve believed her sister was lost to the world, but new information has surfaced that suggests Effie might still be alive. Unfortunately, her fate is tied to a sadistic Gorgon named Kyless, who cursed her to a fate of petrification.



Eve, once a victim of this curse herself, now knows that there’s hope for Effie. If the Gorgon is defeated, the stone curse can be broken—assuming Effie’s lifeforce hasn’t already been drained from her stone form. This quest promises to be perilous, with potentially dire consequences for failure...

I hope this quest summary has sparked your interest, and I can’t wait for you to uncover more about Eve’s story. That’s all for this week! Until next time, everyone!