The Apothecaries were growing weary.  They had waged their battles against the Lords of Pestilence for many moons and their power was slowly becoming depleted.  Their potent elixirs were beginning to fail them – the Lords of Pestilence had learned to use the elixirs to strengthen themselves! They sat in a circle staring into the [...]

Description (Healing Blade Lore) Helicobacter pylori are formidable members of the Gram Negative Legion that primarily affect the central regions of Soma’s aqueduct.  They take advantage of the waste produced by Soma’s natural aqueduct inhabitants to generate the energy they need to survive, and have adapted to the relatively low oxygen levels of the semi-aquatic [...]

Description (Healing Blade Lore) Cefazolin is one of the mighty patriarchs of the Cephalosporin family. He was once a great warrior, defeating the likes of Staphylococcus and Streptococcus Lords with ease, but many of these beastly threats have evolved to avoid Cefazolin’s predictable attack. But the legendary Apothecary is not retired yet. He is still [...]

Description (Healing Blade Lore) Proteus mirabilis are unusual in their swift, swarming attacks. They travel synchronously through the Aqueduct, and occasionally across the land, like a tight-knit bird flock or school of fish. The effect is the amoeboid-type movement of the crowds in a large city, and the devastation they leave in their path quickly [...]

Description (Healing Blade Lore) Bacteroides fragilis are widespread in Soma. They can live peacefully along the aqueduct, where they feed on the nutrients and other resources that flow down from Buccal Bay, and are among the most common residents below the Southern Dam and near Fecal Outlet. They can even be beneficial to Soma’s health, [...]

It gives me great pleasure to announce to you that we are nearing completion of the next phase of The Healing Blade infectious disease card battle game. We’ve teamed up with the folks at Wulven Game Studios, makers of the insanely popular ‘Shadow Era’ card game. The genius gamesmiths over at Wulven, lead by Studio [...]

Description (Healing Blade Lore) Mycoplasma pneumoniae are Soma’s silent hunters. They lurk undetected in the world’s forests, phantoms ever haunting Soma’s peaceful communities. Their elusory presence even once led the Apothecaries’ strategists to mistake them for another class of foes that haunt the land—the dreaded viruses—a suspicion supported by the irreparable damage they can cause [...]

Description (Healing Blade Lore) From the seas of the North to the deserts of the East, Klebsiella pneumoniae can be found throughout Soma’s communities, as well as being common to the uninhabited regions of the land. They can often live peacefully among the local inhabitants, but should a region’s defenses be weakened for any reason, [...]

I recently travelled to foggy Boston to attend the always excellent Games for Health Conference.  We’ve had a presence there before with the HOPE research initiative, but this time, Ben Sawyer, the visionary behind the conference, wanted us to talk a little bit about the Healing Blade.  I still owe Ben a beer for saving [...]

Description (Healing Blade Lore) Acinetobacter baumannii is very slow, oozing through the landscape like gruesome sludge, but its sloth should not be mistaken for apathy or incompetence. It has been trolling the hills of Soma for a century, and is one of the most virulent threats to the warring world. It can afford to be [...]