Say hello to Hugust & Nakheel! Plus, a Reddit AMA!

We’re now into the second week of our Kickstarter campaign, so let’s review our goals and see what comes next…

Stretch Goals

Next goal & unlock: Full Soundtrack by Motoi Sakuraba - €159k/160k

We're on the cusp of our next stretch goal! (Vinyl backers, don't forget this stretch goal will mean much more Sakuraba for your listening pleasure) Keep an eye out; we will hit it very soon!

Social Goals

Next goal & unlock: Demo Access - 8/9 Goals

We're also almost at our next social reward, and with a social goal in reach, we're only a handful of new Discord members away from demo access for almost all tiers!

Facebook | Instagram | X | TikTok | Discord

Colin’s Joke Corner

We’ve made some (terrible) puns about our heroes, but what about some of the wildlife in the world of Alzara? (we’re about to take some long walks to some very specific references, but these are my jokes, so buckle up)

Q: Why did the Lusca have to turn in his badge & gun? A: He was a loose ca nnon.

Q: What did the doctor say to the Lusca at their check-up? A: “You seem to be missing some tentacles.”

Q: What did the Lusca with imposter syndrome say to their friend? A: I’m a fib, Ian!

Now let's meet our other heroes...

In the next of our deep dives, let's learn more about our other two heroes: Hugust Melissa and Nakheel Kriket. These two have their own reasons for getting involved in the conflict, and their path before the start of our story shaped their destinies…

⛰ Hugust Melissa

Melissa means “The Bee” - Hard-working, dedicated to his cause and his people. A fearsome warrior capable of giving his life. Tends to forget himself, to lose sight of his own importance.

Hugust Melissa is a veteran soldier of the Vedorian army. Nothing can make him falter in battle, though his greatest enemy is his own idea of himself. He believes the journey he is embarking on will give him back the self-confidence he has lost and perhaps allow him to find someone who can see his true worth.

Hugust has spent most of his life working for the Vedorians, as a career soldier. He enlisted at a young age, and he enlisted for the worst reason of all: the prestige of the uniform. At first, he never took his commitment too seriously until he was sent to conflict in the Northlands. After that, the loss of magic eventually transformed the army, which turned to rely on the Dievans, less disciplined mercenaries who were only motivated by money. This conflict and these changes slowly but surely raised questions about his sense of duty and purpose. Hugust lost track of his life and his self-confidence with it. He asked to be sent with the force heading to Taqsim, hoping to find something to hold on to.

Hugust is in his forties, having long served in the army, and his body wears the marks of his training and service. He also has a bit of a belly that won't disappear, but that mostly betrays his affection for confections. He ties his short hair back, hair that seems to be more grey every day. He often looks far away at the horizon, trying to see past his own myopic view of his future. He still wears his Vedorian armour, not only for protection but to hide some parts of his body that he is ashamed of. However, he does not wear the Vedorian helmet and uses a large shield as his weapon of choice.

Hugust truly feels he does not have any purpose anymore, though that feeling also comes from Hugust’s lack of luck in love despite many tries. Hugust feels alone because he has been unable to tell anyone about his sorrow. He always tries to look happy to not burden the people around him.

Ultimately, Hugust is resilient. With wounds, bad news, or terrible events, Hugust won't show any sign of weakness except when the pressure cooker explodes, which can be fatal to him. He tries to be stoic but is, in reality, very sensitive. Hugust deals with a lot, but when it comes to sharing that burden, he always forgets to deal himself in.

🌊 Nakheel Kriket

Kriket, or “The Grillon” - A powerful and wise singer, serene advisor and wanderer. Charismatic and reassuring. Not always able to link with reality and other points of view than their own, considered a fool by others.

Nakheel Kriket is a venerable sage, despite their young age. The invasion of Taqsim shattered their illusion of peace, bringing conflict to their home. Nakheel tries not to judge and never to hate. Nothing is more important to them than their freedom, and they are willing to fight hard to defend it. Nakheel feels connected to water and is an expert at navigating the seas.

Nakheel is a native of Taqsim and lives in a small fishermen's settlement in East Kalokeri. They originally left their family at an early age as they didn’t agree with their way of living. Since then, they have been drawn to the water’s edge, residing seaside and remaining close to the element that calls to them. This proximity has allowed them to study and learn about the Zals, elemental gods of the world. Mostly, they have lived a solitary life, only seeking out human company when exchanging food for tools and materials to keep their camp in good condition.

Nakheel has an athletic build and stays in shape by swimming and surfing in the sea they live beside. They tend to dress practically, eschewing fashion for clothing and accessories that are comfortable and useful in their everyday life. They don’t care what others think, but only because they don’t often think of themselves from another’s perspective. Their hair is very long, which they keep in a long braid. Their hair certainly has never been cut once in their life. They are calm like water at rest; you can’t imagine them getting nervous or panicking at the first sign of danger. They can also unleash a fury like the seas as well, and in battle they fight with a tall ceremonial axe.

Nakheel knows how to take a step back and approach a situation logically and justly. They even take a practical approach when meeting new people and are often quiet so they can learn all about them. Their attention sometimes wanders; they can begin a sentence and never finish it.

Even when they’re able to make anyone speak about themselves, they find it hard to relate to the other person’s motives. At the end of the day, they treasure their liberty and have only one fear: losing it.

✨ We are doing an AmA on the JRPG Subreddit! ‼

Come join Emma (Creative Director) and Colin (Community Developer) on the subreddit this week, Thursday, May 30th, at 10am EDT / 4pm CEST, where we will answer your questions live! We’ll be chatting about the game, and we’d also love to talk about running a Kickstarter campaign, starting a studio, establishing a community, and we’d love to just talk about JRPGs, too!

(You can even ask questions in French, though Colin did not take French past Grade 9, so unless you ask him where the bathroom is, he won’t be able to help you)

That’s it for our latest update! We are now into week three of our campaign and working our way through some exciting Stretch Goals! We still have some exciting goals to reveal, so spread the word about our campaign and maybe pick up an extra copy for a friend?

Until next time! 💛 Colin & the team at Studio Camelia