Black Market Guide to Immortality

Happy New Year, everyone!

We at Nine Heavens Press hope all of you have a wonderful start to 2026. To help kick things off, we've got some previews we'd love to show you.

Post-Crowdfunding Stretch Goal: New Ancestry, the Yaoqi


Thanks to your continuing generosity funding our project, we're pleased to reveal the Yaoqi, a new ancestry/species based on the mythological qilin. They've hidden away from the world in floating islands, but handfuls of them have migrated back to ground-level. The Yaoqi are the children of Golden IMA, the Primordial Qilin, upon whose corpse the entirety of the Iseung region lies. They consider themselves children of the earth as opposed to the children of the gods. Believing their time has passed, they've sequestered themselves to chronicle the history of the world, promising to return only when they feel peace between them and the children of the gods are possible.

They're a sagacious people with innate mastery over light and air said to possess the secrets to immortality. In bleaker, more superstitious times, rulers have attempted to use them as trophies to justify the virtue of their rule. They have a monastic civilization where they serve as scholars or cultivators to divine the will of the earth, but others that drifted apart from such quiet lifestyles have left deep scars in history.

Stretch Goal Preview: the Gu Huo Niao


A preview from our bestiary: the gu huo niao is a variant harpy we were able to design thanks to your generosity! A Chinese monster that has also inspired the Japanese yokai, ubume, the gu huo niao are said to originally be human women whose grief over losing their children transformed them into this monstrous shape. They're infamous for snatching children they find to raise as their own. It's said that children they raise also become gu huo niao.

Their voice, like the harpy's, is capable of enchanting and luring people, but those affected by their song are also compelled to protect them at any costs.

Project Update

So going over where we're currently at, we've received our shipment of enamel pins finally. All that's left really are the books, miniatures, and soundtrack.

I went back and revised the Fighter subclass since I wasn't terribly satisfied with it. I felt it could've tied a bit better into the book's overarching themes of immortality. That's why I'm pleased to present the Saint of the Arsenal archetype, based on a number of inspirations (largely from Japan, most prominently the story of Benkei). A master of many weapons, you're encouraged to stow away and draw from multiple weapons that deal different damage types, gaining different benefits for switching them out.

Your path to divinity lies in advancing your fighting technique to the point of being able to cleave the heavens. Overall, I feel very confident with this one.

Arc 3 of the Korean translation of Undying Corruption is also finished. Once it's committed to layout, we're eager to send that over to everyone that backed it.

The closest deadline we've got up coming up is for the playtest documents for late-Q1. Now that the holidays are over, we can resume editing in earnest. The 5e material is further along than the PF2e material in terms of editing, but we'd prefer to release them both at the same time.

The higher tier commissions are also underway. Work will resume in earnest now that the holidays have concluded.

Future Plans

Now that the production phase is largely winding down on Black Market Guide, we've been toying with a couple plans. Our highest priority is, of course, delivering on Black Market Guide, but we do have some wiggle room to act on small projects in the meantime.

The first, I'm thinking about reopening the Patreon as a means of sharing progress with the NPC Guide and creating new subclasses and ancestries. It's unlikely we'll act on that immediately as I'd prefer to at least have a draft of the NPC Guide ready. This is just me sharing my thoughts aloud as a way to continue our creative output.

The second, I've been talking with my friends at Mithral Canvas and we're discussing another crowdfunding campaign that focuses on physical merchandise. Ways to facilitate online and offline play that's a bit more hands-on, interactive. Dice, for example, we have a better grasp on how to make.

As plans become concrete, we'll make further announcements, but I wanted to tease them first, stressing once again that completing this project is my highest priority.

That's it for now! Once again, a happy new year to everyone and if you have any comments or questions, feel free to post them here, send us an email at [email protected], or join our Discord server by clicking the banner below:

Happy holidays, everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that everything is proceeding apace. I've ordered all merchandise and most of them minus the enamel pins have arrived at my doorstep. I accidentally made the stickers a bit larger than expected, so that'll be a fun bonus for you guys!



Progress Report

The holidays have officially begun, meaning that folks' times are divided between personal and family matters plus BMG. Regardless, I'm pleased to report that we're putting the final touches on draft 1 and edits have begun on the player-focused side (ancestries/species, subclasses). I expect the pace to pick up January. Given that, I think we'll just try to get everything out Q1 2026 instead of separating them into two as originally intended. So as to not rush the editors.

On a note for the PF2e side of BMG, I received confirmation from folks at Paizo that I won't be able to use both the OGL and ORC licenses simultaneously, meaning some legacy subclasses like the Summoner can't be added. BUT have no fear. All this means is that you'll get variations of the Corruption Warlock conversion that's both a summoner and a witch. We'll just post summoner up for free online.



As elf was one of our most in-demand legacy ancestries/species to build a lineage for, we're proud to present to you the Apostle Elf! Descended from fey created by the Primordial Beasts to serve as intermediaries between them and mankind, the "children of the gods", Apostle Elves bear features of whichever entity their ancestors served. Their culture still reveres the Primordial Beasts to this day on the level of earthly deities, the world's first caretakers.

We've still got a number of backer-voted material that we're working on especially as we knock out those post-campaign stretch goals! So keep an eye on updates where we preview new ancestries/species even. Currently, We're at 130K including post-campaign gains, so expect two new big playable material that hasn't been teased during the campaign yet. People have been interested in a kamaitachi ancestry, so maybe we'll get to work on that!!

Work is underway. I'm keen on knocking out the PF2e conversion of Undying Corruption just so next year doesn't completely overwhelm me, but everything's apace. I've updated Undying Corruption PF2e with a number of new material that's been published. Speaking of, I'm so glad to be able to use all the new, original dragons, especially since there's a big dragon heavy chapter in the book. Previous backers know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, happy holidays from the Nine Heavens Press family to yours! May the coming new year be... not as stressful lol.

If you have any questions or comments, please reply here or contact us at [email protected]. Otherwise, feel free to join our growing Discord community:

Hello again!

We're one month past the crowdfunding campaign and the dust has just begun setting. You'll be pleased to know that we've been busy making more progress with the book, so allow me to address some questions we've received and what the rest of this year looks like.

Late Stretch Goals

Combined with early pledges, we're currently at $129,787!! Late pledge stretch goals (every 5K after 120K) are still active until early next year. Meaning, we've unlocked one and are about to unlock another!!

We've already begun work on the first, a new species/ancestry: the Yaoqi. They're based on the mythical qilin, offsprings of the Golden IMA, the Primordial Beast upon whose corpse the entirety of the Iseung region sits upon. Just as qilins are harbingers of peace, the Yaoqi were once upon a time heavily sought and exploited by various kingdoms wanting to justify their rule.

They've since raised sky islands and retreated from the earth, taking it upon themselves to observe and determine whether they, the children of the earthly beast gods, could coexist with the children of the gods. Some have begun to take more proactive roles in building a peaceful world, returning to the world below to shape history.

Once we reach 130K, we'll either go down the list in terms of ancestry/subclass poll winners or pick out something new and special!

Current Progress

Speaking of progress, we've been busy during this month! I'm happy to share a bit of what we're working on, particularly with our wide selection of new gods:

One of the three children of Izanagi and Izanami, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, god of storms. Of the three siblings, Susanoo is far more capricious, preferring to test his swordsmanship over wasting his time with court intrigue. After Izanami's death, when the houses of the divine realm of Takamagahara prepared to war with one another, Susanoo happily broke the tension with a light... rampage.

Accepting self-banishment, his tenure in the world below was exciting to say the least. He slew the fell earthly deity, Yamata-no-Orochi, took a mortal wife, and left behind arms revered as sacred artifacts. For every warrior scaling the heights of their art, Susanoo is said to wait at the peaks to test their mettle.


Finally, we have an illustration for the patron deity of all Dangukese Mudang. Princess Bari is a demigod that has taken a governing role in Jeoseung, the Dangukese underworld. Once an ordinary girl, abandoned by her parents, she didn't hesitate to bravely sneak into the underworld to look for a cure to help those who threw her away. She endeavors to guide lost souls, ensuring that there is a gentle rest after death at the end of all beings' lives.

She has a somewhat contentious relationship with the Ten Narakwang, the stern judges that ensure there is punishment awaiting the sinful. They scare the kids too much.

Community Concerns

To address some community comments and questions we've received over the month:

I believe that's everything, but I'm happy to answer questions and respond to comments if there's anything that I missed. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at [email protected], comment here, or join our Discord server!

Hello everyone, we hope you've all been properly scared this Spooky Month!

Very happy to report to everyone that late pledges are officially open.

Click here to access late pledges

In addition, we had a number of stuff we still wanted to do. I mean, we love designing new playable content and monsters, so we have a very special holiday offer.

Until February 2026, we're keeping some very informal stretch goals open. At 125K and every 5K after, we'll add another playable species/ancestry/heritage, subclass, or monster! As long as we're still working on the book, I don't see a reason why we shouldn't add more to it if we can help it.

Surveys

A small number of surveys has been sent out to test the waters. If folks don't report any issues in the next 24 hours, we'll send the rest out. You can expect them soon! As folks fill out their surveys, we'll be sure to give you guys a month by month update on where we're at production-wise. So far, everything's up to speed and I'm hoping to knock out a conclusive draft of the book by the end of the year, in time to be edited Q1 of next year.

I'll work out digital downloads and get them up and running by the end of the week. We are distributing all digital content through DriveThruRPG, so I want to make sure I can figure out how to set that up properly. Folks have been excited to access Undying Corruption, so I want to prioritize that.

Previews

To show you that we've been busy since the crowdfunding campaign, we're happy to show you a couple things we've been working on.



As per the latest stretch goal, here is the Ohachisuye, our variant Roper based on a monster from Ainu folktale. It uses illusions and trickery in addition to the usual Roper tricks to reel in unsuspecting travelers. Any GMs out there will totally give their players a fright when they realize, oh, that's not a house at all, is it!


The Imoogi Dragonborn has also been designed! They appear more serpentine, certainly a bit like a naga. Unlike other dragonborns, they possess the power to "evolve" and temporarily access different dragon forms that empower their physical strength and natural dragonborn abilities. Like a tougher breath weapon.

We'll continue to touch base with you! If you have any comments or questions, you can reach us by replying to this update or emailing us at [email protected]. We've also got an increasingly active Discord server!

We've wrapped up crowdfunding at 120K!! All things considered, not too shabby at all, so thank you all very much for your support in reaching this point.

Within a week or so, you can expect the surveys to reach your inboxes. There, we'll collect whatever information we need such as your game system of preference for books and if you backed us at higher tiers, a form to fill out with references and descriptions of characters you'd like for us to illustrate.

At the same time, preorders will open up including late pledges. We know that times are tough, so we want to keep the bundled pledge rewards open for ease of choice for folks whenever finances allow.

After a month, we'll send out a new version of the playtest document for your approval. As we work on the newly voted on classes, we will update it periodically with new mechanics as we finish and proofread them.

Speaking of, the winners of the polls are as follows:

Everything listed above will be included in the playtest document. We'll build new mechanics around these choices, so thank you all for participating in shaping our book! Likewise, for those who backed both us and Nightfell The Witches' Path, we will start work on the Lunar Cultist subclass.

From here on, you can expect production updates and various previews as we complete this book.

Consider also clicking the banner below to join our Discord server!