Serenissima Obscura & The Magical Renaissance

Dearest backers!

We’re thrilled to share that Serenissima Obscura is flowing forward beautifully — and here is where we stand right now:

The main book of Serenissima Obscura is already half laid out, and the remaining chapters are currently in the capable hands of our editor. The layout is looking absolutely gorgeous — a blend of Renaissance splendor and shadowy Venetian intrigue.

Work on the Ars Magica Guide to the Magical Renaissance is moving swiftly! THe Murano covenant is fully fleshed out and both the Initiates of the New Way and The Gonneslinger are in review. Nicolas Marjanovic from Switzerland is doing an outstanding job refining these new character options.
Ben McFarland, Andreas Wichter and I are now in the character creation phase 16 of the 80 stats blocks are already finished, but I guess this will take us until the end of November.

With all of the character creation chapters in Serenissima Obscura now fully laid out, we’re also approaching the creation of the Player’s Guide. Expect something as elegant as the main book itself!

We remain on track for April 2026 delivery, exactly as announced. The city of mirrors is taking shape — every page, every canal, every whisper.

A reminder
The print editions of all supplements will be exclusive to campaign backers. After release, they will only be available as PDFs. So, if you have not yet backed us, you can still secure your copies through our pre-order page: CLICK HERE

As always, thank you for your trust and support. Without you, Serenissima Obscura could not rise from the lagoon.

Dear friends and supporters,

We’re deep in the final creation phase of Serenissima Obscura, and I wanted to give you a proper look behind the curtain. Thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support — this project is an ambitious one, and your belief in it means everything. Here’s where we stand:

The edit is coming along beautifully. Our editor Neil Kingham is working through the project book by book – and with over 163000 words of material (without the 80 stats), that’s no small task. Each chapter is being carefully reviewed to ensure consistency, clarity, and elegance of tone. In parallel, layout is already underway. Thorsten Janes is building the visual structure of the book, turning edited text into something rich, clear, and usable at the table. Each “book” (our larger thematic chapters) is being passed from edit to layout as we go, streamlining the process and keeping momentum strong.

The D&D-specific content is complete and scheduled for delivery to the editor next week. All 80 stat blocks for important NPCs, creatures, and magical entities are receiving a final polish, while each class — including our unique City Druid, Merchant, and Gonneslinger — is undergoing a final review to ensure mechanical balance. This careful tuning guarantees full compatibility with 5e, while preserving the rich thematic identity of our setting.

The Ars Magica portion continues to grow in exciting directions. One of the major breakthroughs has been the creation of a new Realm of Power, rooted in the Shadow Side World of the Queen of the Lagoon – an eerie, dark reflexion of Venice. Alongside this, we’ve developed the Initiates of the New Way, a Renaissance hedge magic tradition built from the legacy of Hermetic theory but reimagined through art, philosophy, and commerce. 

We’ve also been busy transcribing and adapting a wealth of magical items found throughout Venice, each shaped by the unique tensions between tradition and transformation that define the Renaissance.

Still ahead: the full conversion of the Gonneslinger to Ars Magica rules, the creation of the Murano Covenant, and statting over 80 Ars Magica characters and magical beings.
Fortunately, I’m not tackling this alone — Andreas Wichter, Ben McFarland, and Guillaume Didier are each contributing their expertise to different parts of the Ars Magica conversion guide. Their work is invaluable, and this project simply wouldn’t be possible without them.


4. 355 Shorthand Stats ready for play!

With the integration of our setlets (campaign frames), the book now contains 355 shorthand stats for NPCs, adversaries, and monsters encountered throughout the setting. These quick-reference entries are perfect for GMs who need to improvise on the fly, offering immediate mechanical support without sacrificing narrative depth.

More updates soon, and thank you again for accompanying us into the magical Renaissance!

And don't forget: you can still support us by buying Serenissima Obscura in the Pre-Order-Store: 

Melina Sedó
for

Vortex Verlag

Dear backers and followers.

We’re thrilled to share that Serenissima Obscura is steadily moving toward completion!

The full manuscript is now in the capable hands of our editor, and we’re already receiving edited chapters back. Meanwhile, our designer Thorsten Janes is hard at work laying out the Setting Guide. The book is beginning to take visual shape, and it’s looking absolutely stunning.

While the main book is being finalized, we’re preparing print files for the campaign add-ons. We’re also collecting quotes for the battle maps and street maps – these will bring the mysterious, magical Venice of Serenissima Obscura to your table with evocative detail.

Work continues on the Ars Magica conversion guide! We’ve already translated our magical assumptions into Mythic Europe, mapped our unique species, and are now adapting our Renaissance-style character classes into Ars Magica companions.

This is being done by creating a new Hedge Magic tradition inspired by the magic of the Order of Hermes, but rooted in the forces of Permanence and Possibility – the twin pillars of our magical Renaissance.

We’ve also commissioned a few additional illustrations to support the conversion guides – both for Ars Magica and the 5e Player’s Guide to the Magical Renaissance. These include a gnome clockmaker and a putèi arsenale worker, beautifully illustrated by Marc Smiley.

If you missed the campaign, it’s not too late to join us! The pre-order store is still open – grab your copy of Serenissima Obscura and the exclusive add-ons while they’re still available.

Get access to the Magical Renaissance here!

Thank you again for your support, your patience, and your enthusiasm. We can’t wait to bring this unique setting to your table.

With gratitude,

Melina Sedó
for Vortex Verlag

Hello everybody!

I am working non-stop to bring you everything you have ordered.

The following digital campaign add-ons will be delivered BEFORE WE OPEN THE PLEDGE MANAGER:
- The Straight Way Lost Digital (also if ordered as part of the print version add-on)
- The Straight Way Lost Battle Maps
- The Straight Way Lost Miniatures
- The Atmospheric Sound files
You will soon receive a mail with the download links.

For those who have ordered The Straight Way Lost – Print:
You will receive your physical copies after the Pledge Manager opens and you have given us your addresses, but before we ship Serenissima Obscura. You will not have to wait until next year.

Errored Campaign Pledges
13 backer's, whose credit cards have errored on Backerkit have not yet reacted to our mails. We offer you the opportunity to pay via Paypal to us directly. You have received a mail from: [email protected]. Please respond!

Thank you,

Melina 

Hello everybody!


We are happy to announce that the text for the main book has now been sent to our editor Neil. Because it is more text than anticipated, his work will take a bit longer than planned, but no worry: We have a way to work around that and you'll get your books on time! Yay!

Needless to say: We guess that, in the end, the book will be more than 400 pages long. So, you get even more than what you've paid for. And it is going to be a fabulous book! Yay!

This means that now, Andreas and I are free to start our work on the Ars Magica Guide to Serenissima Obscura. This will definitely be a lot of work, but we've got help from the Ars Magica community. We'll write more about this later. 

But there is also bad news:
Some backer's credit cards have errored on Backerkit and their pledges could not be collected after all. We offer those backers the opportunity to pay via Paypal to us directly. Those who are affected, will receive a mail later this day from my email address: [email protected]
So, when you get such a mail: THIS IS NO SCAM. 

Thank you,

Melina