DEATHMASK STUDIOS PRESENTS

The Curse of Ashenby

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Awaken in the dying world of Valdremoor, where the ancient prison of Zorarthan the Undying has shattered and his darkness bleeds into the earth. 23 Shardcage Fragments. A continent consumed. Survive the Ashbleed — or become it.

WATCH REVEAL EXPLORE LORE
DESCEND

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LIVING CORRUPTION

The Ashbleed is not a status effect — it is a world state. Every Shardcage Fragment that remains changes the land, the creatures, and the people around it.

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THE SHARD HUNT

23 Veilcrystal Fragments scattered across Valdremoor. Each one recovered reduces ambient corruption — and brings you closer to the terrifying truth.

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SEVEN CLASSES

Warrior, Elementalist, Ranger, Assassin, Cleric, Monk, Druid. Visceral combat where every strike carries the weight of a dying world.

THE STUDIO

DEATHMASK STUDIOS

“Shadow is not the absence of light; it is a presence of its own.”

Deathmask Studios is an independent game development studio dedicated to creating high-fidelity, atmospheric dark fantasy experiences that linger long after the screen goes dark.

We believe in atmosphere first, uncompromising quality, and player agency in terror. Every asset, every sound, and every mechanic must serve the mood. Nothing is decoration.

2026

FOUNDED

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TITLE IN DEV

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AMBITION

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THE CURSE OF ASHENBY

IN DEVELOPMENT

THE WORLD

VALDREMOOR

A land of dark, ancient beauty slowly consumed by something that has no name yet. Grey skies, dense forests that whisper at night, crumbling empires built on forgotten victories — and a darkness that has given people very good reasons to fear it.

THE ASHBLEED

Where the Shardcage Fragments land, the ground darkens. A black, viscous fluid seeps upward. Animals grow twisted and aggressive. People near a shard too long begin having nightmares — then waking visions — then they change. Only the Shardcage rebuilt can stop it.

ZORARTHAN THE UNDYING

He is not a demon in the classical sense. He is something older — a convergence of pure destructive will that predates the current age. He does not hunger for souls. He seeks unravelling: the collapse of the boundary between the mortal plane and the void beyond it.

THE SHARDCAGE

Twelve hundred and forty years ago, the First Emperor and the Founding Archmagister imprisoned Zorarthan in a prison of Veilcrystal. For 1,240 years it held. Three months ago, his Lieutenants shattered it — scattering 23 fragments across all of Valdremoor.

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The ash does not just cover the world; it replaces it. We are not dying; we are being rewritten.

ARCHIVIST KAELEN, FINAL JOURNAL ENTRY

WHAT AWAITS

GAME FEATURES

Five chapters. Seven classes. 52 skill trees. 210 unique skills. 840 learnable variants. One dying world where every choice carves the ending.

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CLASSES

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SKILL TREES

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PROFICIENCIES

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CHAPTERS

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SHARDCAGE FRAGMENTS

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UNIQUE SKILLS

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SKILL VARIANTS

THE FIVE CHAPTERS

CHAPTER I — LEVELS 1–3

THE ASHEN WAKE

PROLOGUE

Awaken in the village of Greymere as the Ashbleed spreads from a shattered Shardcage Fragment. Recover the first fragment. Meet Howen and unlock the Runeforge. Uncover the conspiracy behind the Shardcage’s fall.

CHAPTER II — LEVELS 4–10

THE THORNMERE ROAD

3 ACTS

From the City of Grey Waters through the intrigue of The Hollow Court into the shadow of The Shepherd. Political machination, ancient conspiracy, and the first glimpse of Zorarthan’s Lieutenants.

CHAPTER III — LEVELS 11–18

THE FIFTH BELOW

3 ACTS

Descend into the deep places: The Vethara Corridor and The Spine’s Edge. Ancient ruins, underground factions, and the truth of what 1,240 years of Zorarthan’s proximity did to those who stayed.

CHAPTER IV — LEVELS 19–26

THE IRONFAST PROVINCE

3 ACTS

The war for Valdremoor reaches its peak. The Northern Coast falls. The Keth Islands become the last foothold. Every Fragment recovered is a battle won. Zorarthan’s form solidifies as the Ashbleed reaches the ocean.

CHAPTER V — LEVELS 27–35

THE SHATTERED SPINE

ENDGAME

The Shattered Spine. The Binding. The Ending. Rebuild the Shardcage or discover there is another way. Multiple endings shaped by class, choices, and what you sacrificed along the way.

SEVEN PLAYABLE CLASSES

WARRIOR

Tank / Physical DPS

Master of arms. Absorbs punishment so others survive.

ELEMENTALIST

Magic DPS

Volatile arcane power. Devastating output on a fragile frame.

RANGER

Ranged DPS

Strikes from shadow and distance. Nature-attuned, tactically superior.

ASSASSIN

Burst DPS

One window. One kill. Eliminate targets before they react.

CLERIC

Healer / Support

Keeper of the divine flame. Sustains the party against impossible odds.

MONK

Mobile DPS

Flows between targets. Kinetic mastery with lethal precision.

DRUID

Magic Support

Nature’s instrument. Reshapes the battlefield with ancient earth-lore.

52 SKILL TREES

Starting + Spec + Unique

2 starting trees + 3 specialisations per class, plus 16 Unique trees dropped in the world.

CORE SYSTEMS

THE RUNEFORGE

Craft rune inscriptions from enemy materials. Extract → Fuse → Inscribe. Fused runes combine two material types for hybrid bonuses unavailable anywhere else. Inscriptions are permanent — commitment matters.

BEAST • DECAY • FLAME • VOID • RESONANCE SETS

14 PROFICIENCIES

Out-of-combat skills that gate dialogue options, exploration paths, and lore discoveries. Deterministic — no dice. Investment is always meaningful. Four categories: Knowledge, Social, Exploration, Resilience.

PERCEPTION • ALCHEMY • STEALTH • INTIMIDATION • RESOLVE • &MORE

COMBAT DEPTH

Five enemy tiers. Eight AI behavioral archetypes. A full interrupt system, boss phase shifts, and the SPREAD_DAMAGE co-op mechanic that forces real party composition decisions.

FODDER • STANDARD • ELITE • MINI-BOSS • BOSS • 8 AI ARCHETYPES

SINGLE PLAYER & CO-OP

The full campaign is playable solo or with up to 5 players in co-op. Encounter scaling dynamically adjusts enemy budget, boss phases, and spawn rates to match party size and difficulty setting.

NOVICE • STANDARD • VETERAN • NIGHTMARE • DYNAMIC SCALING

MEDIA

VISUAL CHRONICLES

SCREENSHOTS & CONCEPT ART

OFFICIAL REVEAL TRAILER

COMING SOON

THE ASHENLANDS
COMBAT SYSTEM
CHARACTER CLASSES
THE WOLF DEN
GREYFEN MOORS
DIALOGUE SYSTEM
INVENTORY
CHARACTER SHEET
SKILL TREES
FROM THE FORGE

DEV DIARY

Chronicles from the studio. Unfiltered dispatches from the void.

LORE DISPATCH — 11 Apr 2026

Whispers from the Ashenlands

What is the Curse? Why does the ash fall like snow upon a land that refuses to die? As we delve into world-building, we focus on the unspoken history of Valdremoor and the imprisoned god at its heart.

DEV UPDATE — 11 Apr 2026

The First Ember: Development Begins

A new era dawns at Deathmask Studios as we begin the journey into the Ashenlands. Today we officially break ground — the silence of the void is finally broken.

ART & DESIGN — 11 Apr 2026

Shadows and Gold: Our Visual Identity

A glimpse into the aesthetic direction that defines the haunting beauty of Ashenby — extreme contrast, decaying opulence, void-black shadows interrupted by violent ember-light.

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THE ARCHITECTS

OUR TEAM

A collective of creators obsessed with darkness, systems, and the space between.

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MICAEL STRID

FOUNDER & SOLO DEVELOPER

The Curse of Ashenby is a solo vision. Micael wears every hat — game design, programming, worldbuilding, narrative, art direction, systems architecture, UI/UX, and production. One person building an entire world from scratch. Most of all: the visionary behind every corner of Valdremoor.

FOR PRESS

PRESS & MEDIA KIT

Everything you need to cover The Curse of Ashenby. Logos, screenshots, fact sheets — available on request.

FACT SHEET

  • DeveloperDeathmask Studios
  • GenreDark Fantasy RPG
  • EngineCustom / Opcode
  • StatusIn Development
  • PlatformsTBA
  • ReleaseTBA
  • Websitedeathmaskstudios.com

PRESS RESOURCES

DOWNLOAD PRESS KIT LOGO ASSETS (SVG/PNG) CONCEPT ART PACK

Press inquiries: press@deathmaskstudios.com