What's behind the rabbit?
almost 3 years ago – Mon, Jul 26, 2021 at 02:56:30 PM

Hello Squeaky Toys!

Well, we're all certainly motivated by rabbits! We turned it up over the weekend and delivered another Stretch Goal!

And now it's time for the next batch of Stretch Goals!

Following up on our exciting goal earlier that added VTT support with a Squeaks in the Deep token pack, let's get some more online support added to our rewards!

And then another new sourcebook supplement, expanding the setting for Squeaks in the Deep. We'll be starting to peek into The Underneath a bit with tomorrow's manuscript preview, but really we'll delve deep into that darkness next week when Chapter 6 is revealed. But I already know I want more, so let's set up a goal to look beyond the shadows and even further into the darkness underground...

Keep up the great work, mouseketeers! We're right in the middle of the campaign, so please continue to spread the word in your social circles and on your social media! Let's gather as many mousey friends as we can and continue to expand this project to new heights (or, ah, depths?).

#SqueaksInTheDeep

#SqueakingPastStretchGoals

#BehindTheRabbit

The Dragon's Lair
almost 3 years ago – Sun, Jul 25, 2021 at 06:00:59 AM

The Dragon’s Lair

Miska stared down the twisting, turning tunnel and sighed. “This keeps going on forever.”

“A logical impossibility,” Howe corrected, holding the lantern above her head. “It cannot go on forever. It must, in fact, end somewhere. And if we keep following it, eventually we will arrive there.” He jiggled the lantern. “However, perhaps a mild reduction of the illumination produced by this device is in order, to avoid the attention of antagonistic locals?”

“Huh?” Miska was confused for a moment, trying to work her way through Howe’s jargon. Finally, understanding dawned. “Oh! One twitch.” She closed her eyes, and suddenly Howe could smell freshly baked bread. Every time the psychic used her powers it made him hungry, but it was a small price to pay. Within moments, the light from the lantern dimmed as if covered by a dark cloth.

“Much appreciated,” the analyst said. “Caution is best, given the auditory disturbance.”

“I don’t hear anything,” Miska said, but then she could hear it, too. A soft grinding sound, like the very rock and earth around them were quietly snoring. “Wait, now I hear it. That’s odd.”

“My family used to tell stories of the Hungry Earth,” the rat whispered. “Tunnels that would suddenly come alive and devour witness rodents who delved too deeply into mysteries that did not concern them.”

Miska laughed. “Tunnels that eat people? That’s silly.”

Howe gestured toward the tunnel with the dim lantern. “They let us progress, young research assistant.”

“Or, you know, ‘friend,’” Miska muttered under her breath as the pair proceeded into the tunnel.

Time passed slowly in the dark and cramped tunnels, as the steady grinding sound grew louder and louder. After what seemed an eternity, or maybe just a twitch of the tail, the lantern grew brighter and Miska could see the edges of the tunnel more clearly. Although she was an above-ground mouse, she knew a little about tunneling and could discern that the walls hadn’t been carved by pickaxes and shovels.

“More like claws,” she whispered to herself, and shivered. Wait. She didn’t shiver from the thought. She could feel a cold breeze blowing then ebbing. Blow, then ebb. She turned to Howe. “Do you feel that?”

He shivered as well. “Indeed. I have heard… well, there have been theories, of course. Papers written. But little proof.”

“Proof of what?” Miska asked, but the rat just shook his head. Annoyed, Miska turned and stomped down the tunnel.

Her breath was fogging the air around her face by the time the tunnel opened into a massive cavern. The bright light of the lantern glittered off strange sculptures that littered the cave. Ice? Fascinated, Miska reached out to one and touched it, quickly drawing her paw back at the shock of how cold it was. Definitely ice. She motioned to her friend. “Howe? Bring the light over.” She scraped a little at the ice with a claw. “I think there’s something in this ice. It might be a rock, or maybe… it could be a person!”

The light didn’t move, and Miska turned back. “Howe? What’s wrong?”

The analyst was staring into the darkness, lantern held high, frozen. Not frozen in ice, but clearly petrified. At her question, Howe managed to raise a paw and point into the darkness. Miska followed his gesture with her gaze.

There in the distance, far from the light of the lantern, she could just barely make out a massive creature. It had shimmering metallic skin and giant wings were folded across its back. She couldn’t see the head from where she stood, but the metal hide expanded and contracted with the breeze and the grinding sound.

Oh Man, she thought. Those are the creature’s snores.

Miska carefully tiptoed over to Howe and stretched as tall as she could to whisper into the rat’s ear. “What is it?” she asked, dreading the answer.

The rat’s face looked pale, even in the weak light. He swallowed once, twice, before finally croaking out an answer.

“Dragon.”

The creature stirred. Suddenly, the legends of the Hungry Earth didn’t seem so funny to Miska anymore.

#SqueaksInTheDeep

Life in the Margins
almost 3 years ago – Thu, Jul 22, 2021 at 06:47:11 AM

Mouse and rat societies are inextricably intertwined, yet vastly different in certain respects. For instance, mice tend to use guile or trickery less often than rats, though rats prefer to think of themselves as shrewd and canny. Most other species, however, lump uplifted mice and rats into one group along with their non-uplifted counterparts: rodents. This is seen as a huge sign of disrespect to the uplifted rodents, who refer to their non-uplifted counterparts as “squeakers.”

Despite this disrespect, and while Pugmire and the monarchies have come to an uneasy truce, and birds and lizards live in their own societies, the rodents live among — but not part of — any of them. Though some few rodents have gone off to adventure on the high seas and become integral members of their ships’ crews, and a pawful have risen through the badger clans to positions as strategists and advisers, most live in cities and towns. They are often overlooked, outright ignored, or completely unknown. When they do interact with cat and dog society, it is usually as merchants, servants, or couriers, though some rodents — like the Rat Kings — are looking to change that.

Looking Up

Rodents in Pugmire and the monarchies have a completely different perspective from the cats and dogs who call those places home. The cities clearly weren’t built with rodents in mind, though they’ve carved out a whole society under the other species’ paws. Rodents see dogs and cats as haughty, self-important, and too convinced of their own beliefs. While dogs and cats clearly question some things, fighting the Unseen and retrieving powerful relics from far-away lands, they don’t go far enough, and never look under their own noses. Rodents find it strange that cats and dogs fetch so many powerful objects only to use them for glory or to fuel their personal power, rather than to unlock further secrets of the Old Ones for the good of all. Rodents would be far more forthcoming about their own discoveries if they thought cats, dogs, lizards, birds, and badgers would use the information to help everyone, rather than hoard what they discover exclusively for themselves or their peers.

Most of Pugmire’s and the monarchies’ denizens would be stunned to realize how many rodents live among them. Rodents have far fewer color and size variations than cats, dogs, birds, or lizards, so it’s common for those species to have trouble telling one rodent from another if they don’t have distinctive features like albinism or a missing ear or paw. Additionally, while cats and dogs are accustomed to looking down at their kittens or Pomeranian friends, mice are smaller than either, though rats are similar in size to small dogs. Thus, it’s easy for a mastiff or member of House Angora to go about their business without noticing the rodents they pass on a regular basis. Rodents only frequent pubs and cafes where they know they’re welcome, which means they’re unlikely to meet others who aren’t already tolerant of their presence.

Just below the surface of both empires and stretching between them, however, the rodents have a sprawling underground city all their own, rarely visited by non-rodents. While a curious puppy or young trailblazer might come across the outskirts of rodent society by creeping through a sewer grate or narrow alley, the entrances to the heart of their dwellings are hidden to all but invited guests and the most persistent interlopers. Rodent culture, at its heart, is one of interconnectedness. No matter how intense the infighting or personal grudges, mice and rats strive to do what’s best for everyone in their society. Whether this means educating young rodents in the closely held secrets of the rodent community, distributing food to those who need it most first, or building homes and shelters for those without, everyone lends a paw. Doing what’s best for society also means freely trading secrets, knowledge, and tips among other rodents, even while guarding those insights from other species.

The elder rodents spend time observing young ones as they play and interact, attempting to identify any aptitudes or behaviors to mold as they grow. While some, of course, go on to live simple (though important!) lives as merchants, mushroom farmers, scribes, assistants, or homemakers, others become adventurers, scientists, scholars, and peacekeepers. No matter their course in life, each rodent benefits from their upbringing, as tutors and elders educate them in various skills they’ll need to survive in a world that hasn’t fully accepted them. From diplomacy to survival, mice and rats get one of the better educations to be had in Pugmire and the monarchies, even without the benefit of formal schools. Many scholars maintain open libraries, laboratories, and artifact collections, however, so some of their studies are familiar to cats and dogs. Of course, there are other storehouses of information that non-rodents have no knowledge of, as well…

Rodents have no need for their own city guard or constabulary; the work of peacekeeping is left in the paws of mediators and peer-staffed juries or tribunals. Most punishments meted out take the role of community service, and banishment is saved for the worst offenders. Of course, rodents who live, work, or even spend time aboveground are subject to local laws, as no one above ground recognizes the rats and mice as members of a discrete or sovereign nation. Most dogs or cats who end up in the Underneath don’t see the rodents’ laws as “real,” but generally understand that if they aren’t actively undermining the surface’s culture, the rodents aren’t doing any real harm. If some other factions, however, were to find out the extent of the underground society, they’d want to eradicate it by any means necessary.

The Underneath

Much of the Underneath is lightly explored and incredibly dangerous. However, the uppermost level, just under the cobbled streets of Pugmire and the monarchies, is home to a sprawling community of rats and mice, though a few outcasts from other species make their homes among them as well. Provided that those few non-rodents abide by the communal laws and treat rodents with dignity, they are welcome to stay. From city hubs and markets mirroring those aboveground to cozy underground farms and fisheries ringed with villages, there is a rodent nation of trade, culture, and learning just below the feet of unsuspecting surface dwellers. The rodents who live there don’t have a formal name for it, simply using “the Underneath” to refer to both their nation and the many deeper levels where most do not dare to venture.

Though the first few levels below their homes and businesses are clear of monsters and often used to train young cadets and future explorers, everything else is poorly explored at best, or more often, completely unknown. Expeditions down into the Underneath are harrowing and require careful planning and rationing of food. It can take months to completely outfit a force of rodents to map out a new section, and coming back isn’t guaranteed.

The cities and villages, however, are largely peaceful places. Though the rodents’ homes and shops are ramshackle and cobbled together from bits and scraps, they take pride in doing their best with less than most. Curtains and clothes are mended with tiny stitches only nimble rodent paws can manage. Storefronts, carts, and homes are kept neat and are often painted or scrubbed . When explorers and traders bring back oddities with no scientific value, those baubles are made into décor, jewelry, or repurposed into useful tools. Rodents are careful with their fires and cookstoves, as the Underneath’s ventilation leaves something to be desired. Luckily, there are enough underground streams and springs to provide endless fresh water.

The lower levels of the cave system are large and echoing in places and cramped in others, but the rodents have spent generations carving out their home level to a comfortable height, while leaving enough supports in place to not cause sinkholes all over Pugmire and the monarchies. The tallest dogs and cats stoop when they visit, but smaller creatures can walk upright without problems. While lizards mostly do fine underground, birds rarely visit as it distresses them to be so long without a glimpse of the sky. Lizard visitors, however, should take pains to bundle up or bring extra layers, as it is quite cold farther down and can put them in danger of becoming torpid.

More to come when we post the draft version of Chapters 4 and 5 on Tuesday! Backers will be able to download and read the entire draft manuscript before the campaign ends, so join in and check it out! And like the mouse society described, working together we can make this project even bigger, bolder, and better!

Please remember to spread the word and let's see if we can't unlock another Stretch Goal or three before the campaign concludes! There's much more to explore in the Underneath!

#SqueaksInTheDeep

Let's Squeak Out some more Stretch Goals
almost 3 years ago – Wed, Jul 21, 2021 at 10:16:52 AM

Hello Squeaky Toys!

Is everyone's mind still spinning from yesterday's chapter on Psionics? Even though we've had more of the manuscript to keep us busy, we've still been moving forward and have achieved another set of Stretch Goals!

At this point, the Rabbit PDF supplement we've funded isn't more than the barest outline, but my guess is it'll be a lot like the subject of our next Squeaks in the Deep manuscript preview, Chapter Four: Life in The Margins. This chapter looks at the world from the perspective of the rats and mice, how they come together with cats and dogs, some internal conflicts, and even a legend or two.

I'll have a small preview from that chapter posted tomorrow to give us a taste, and the full download will be coming next Tuesday, when we'll have Chapter 4 and 5 available for backers.

But we're not done with Rabbits, and not done with Stretch Goals. Let's see if we can't get some extras to help online play (which I've been doing a lot of over this past year!), and then bulk up the Rabbits supplement a bit more with the rules to create fully-playable rabbit characters!

Let's see if we can't smash these next Stretch Goals over the next week! As noted, I'll have a preview to share before our next draft manuscript section gets released to backers, and we'll maybe squeak in some more fiction over the weekend!

Please remember to share your excitement and enthusiasm for this campaign in your social circles and on your social media! There's lots of room in the Underneath to hold even more backers, so let's fill it up and see what we can accomplish together!

#SqueaksInTheDeep

#LetsGetMoreRabbits 

Backers Only - Manuscript Preview Part 2
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Jul 20, 2021 at 03:46:13 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.