All projects Original IP · Developed in-house

Project Veil

A fractured fantasy world shaped by an ancient magical catastrophe, caught between progress, power, and the fear of repeating history. At its centre lies Veilhaven — a city where magic and engineering became one.

New reveal every week
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The World The Story Characters Realms
The world

One mage reached for the sky, and the world is still falling.

Centuries ago the archmage Azaeron Val'Thyr built the Rite of Ascension on a single conviction: that the gods were never divine by nature — they had simply reached the source of magic first. He attempted the crossing himself.

He did not die, and he did not ascend. The Ascension Cataclysm reshaped continents, spread mana veins across the world, birthed new monsters, made magic permanently unstable, and scattered Azaeron's soul into fragments that were never recovered.

What rose from that wound is a civilisation that runs on the very thing that broke it. Veilhaven burns mana in its engines and calls it progress. The Church calls the catastrophe divine judgement and quietly guards what survived it. And the Seven Mana Crystals sit scattered across the world, each one a door that cannot safely be opened or safely be left alone.

"Gods are not divine by nature. They merely reached the source of magic first." — Azaeron Val'Thyr
The cost of progress Corruption of power Forgotten history Civilization hiding decay Fragmented souls Identity vs destiny
Aurethar, the Sun-Eyed Warden, a golden dragon

Beyond the Sacred Veil

Cosmology

Demons originate from Hell — a shattered, living domain sustained by souls, bargains, suffering and corrupted will. They are less creatures of flesh than dark ideas made manifest: greed, dominion, the refusal to accept death, the refusal to face truth.

After the first wars between the gods and the infernal legions, the Gods of Light wove layers of divine light, sacred oaths and holy magic across the boundaries of the mortal realm. That barrier is the Sacred Veil, and it denies Demons entry in their true form or full power. Within its constraints they can still whisper, poison dreams, forge bargains and work through frail bodies, ambitious sorcerers, desperate kings and hidden cults — but their complete presence remains forbidden.

Part of that protection comes from the Mana Crystals themselves: pure mana bound to the fabric of reality can burn a Demon, rewrite its existence, or tear it apart entirely. Which is exactly why Azaeron matters to them. A mortal elevated toward godhood might carry the capacity to open the path the Veil keeps closed. To the Demon Lords he was never a failed experiment. He was a proof of concept, and a door left half-open.

Seravaine

The Velvet Thorn · Beauty, deception, free will corrupted from within

She does not invade with armies. She works through beauty, serenity, half-truths and choices that seem perfectly reasonable. Her appearance is an infernal enchantment: every soul sees in her whatever it most desires — a lover, a queen, a saviour, a guide.

Her real power is not tempting the body. It is convincing the soul that its own downfall was an act of free will. She never lies. She simply arranges for the most dangerous part of the truth to shine brightest, and delivers it at the moment it will wound most.

"The finest chain is the one the victim places around their own neck in the name of freedom."

Mordravan

The Chain-Crowned · Dominion, war, fear, absolute obedience

If Seravaine is a whisper, Mordravan is a command. If she corrupts choice, he breaks the will itself. His crown is forged from countless chains, each bearing the name of a king, hero or ancient being who once stood against him and fell.

He does not seek Azaeron's resurrection out of reverence. He intends possession — a restored body capable of holding the power of mana, serving as a royal vessel from which he could rule Hell and the mortal world at once.

The two despise each other. Their war is fought in Hell and in the mortal world at once — largely through people who have no idea they are pieces in it.

The Seven Mana Crystals

6 located · 1 unconfirmed

Not merely sources of power. Each crystal appears to hold a will, a memory or an echo, and those who spend time near them report being whispered to, called, or chosen. The Great Rumour holds that if Azaeron's soul fragments, the Book of the Rite and all seven crystals are reunited, a new god may be born.

I

The Dream Crystal

Inside a living mind

Hidden inside a complete dream world that exists within the mind of the elven mage Elyndra. It occupies no physical location — it cannot be searched for or stolen from outside.

II

The Sun Crown Crystal

Sunnwold Crown, Ealdharn

Held inside the body of Aurethar, the Sun-Eyed Warden, who offered to carry it rather than see it vaulted. The cost was that he can never leave the mountain again.

III

The Bank Crystal

Veilhaven

Buried in the lowest level of the largest bank in the known world, ringed by gnomish magical traps. The public sees a centre of commerce; it is also one of the most secure arcane vaults ever built.

IV

The Remains Crystal

The Frozen North

Lodged inside what remains of Azaeron's body, kept in a church prison near the top of the world. The crystal is the reason the body has never decayed.

V

The Forge Crystal

Khaz Barum

Used to craft magical arms, armour and infrastructure in the greatest fortress of the Dwarf Empire. Outsiders credit rare ores and ancient technique.

VI

The Painted Crystal

Stolen

Sealed inside a painting made by Cassian's father, with his mother placing herself inside it as its internal guardian. Entering it requires a ring, and the ring answers only to Cassian.

VII

Unconfirmed

Location unknown

The seventh crystal has not been found, and no faction has credibly claimed it. Its location remains one of the most consequential open questions in the world.

The story

How the world got here

From the wars of gods to the night the church burned. New chapters open as the story is revealed.

Before memory

The Wars of Gods and Legions

The Gods of Light fought the infernal legions of Hell. In the aftermath they wove the Sacred Veil across the boundaries of the mortal realm, denying Demons entry in their true form or full power. It has never come down.

The Cataclysm

The Rite of Ascension

Azaeron Val'Thyr attempted to elevate a mortal to divinity. The ritual failed catastrophically. Continents were reshaped, mana veins spread worldwide, new monsters emerged, magic became permanently unstable — and Azaeron's soul fragmented rather than ending. Seven crystals were left behind.

After the Cataclysm

The Pact of the Three Flames

Humans, Elves and Dwarves allied to defeat the Leviathan of the Veil. That alliance became the political foundation of the modern world, and the reason Veilhaven is governed by three races at once.

≈400 years ago

The War of Ashes

A conflict that forced mass refugee migration, realigned the politics of every race, and led directly to the founding of Veilhaven as a shared port and sanctuary.

Present day · Veilhaven

The Attack on the Church

The Mana Eaters learn that the Sixth Crystal is hidden inside a painting held in the city church. They strike at the exact moment every Paladin has been sent away on separate missions. Brother Maltheus is killed. The painting is stolen. The Paladin Cassian arrives too late — and is left holding a confession letter that reframes his entire childhood.

Present day · Silverleaf Gardens

The Voice in the Mirror

Elyndra's hidden tower falls and she is taken captive. With the guardian network gone, the spirit-bound mage Vaelor reaches the waking world through a single ancient silver mirror — and the mage who hears him is a student named Aelira Dawnveil. His instruction is precise: find those who have not sold their souls, and those who do not fight for power.

Chapter pending

The road to Khaz Barum

Not yet revealed.

Chapter pending

The climb to Sunnwold Crown

Not yet revealed.

Characters

The people this happens to

None of them were chosen. All of them are broken in specific, complementary ways. Select any card to open the dossier.

Revealed designs

6 of many

Also in the canon

Design pending

Bestiary

2 designs revealed
Realms

Places, peoples and powers

The known world is not evenly mapped. These are the regions the story currently touches, and the forces moving through them.

The known world

6 regions
Veilhaven, the mana-industrial capital city

Veilhaven

The centre of the world · Largest port city known

A mana-industrial capital governed by three races at once: humans hold politics, trade and diplomacy; elves keep the magical archives and history; dwarves run industry, infrastructure and military engineering. Prosperity masking instability, in a single city — and the place where this story begins.

  • Dawnspire — government, arcane academy, observatory and lighthouse in one; the symbolic heart of the city
  • Silverleaf Gardens — moon temples, speaking trees, the Living Libraries and the Mage Towers
  • The Human District — blue and copper roofs, magical lanterns, politically volatile
  • Irondeep — the industrial underworld beneath the city, and whatever is buried under that
  • The Ashen Ring — mana addicts, refugees, illegal spell trade; the shadow of progress
  • The Veiled Docks — trade, smuggling, foreign influence and relic hunting
Khaz Barum, the dwarven mountain empire

Khaz Barum

Dwarven mountain empire

A realm built deep inside a colossal mountain, commanding the surrounding peaks through mining, military and political power. Iron, stone, mana and ancient bloodlines have become inseparable here.

Beneath the inhabited levels lie restricted passages no one may approach without the king's permission. The air is heavier down there, and the iron veins in the walls shimmer as though something in the mountain is still breathing.

Ealdharn, the kingdom between mountain and sea

Ealdharn

Kingdom between mountain and sea

Colossal cliffs rising from endless mist, frozen forests on rocky slopes, longships sailing into violent water. A culture of sacred oaths, war poetry and endurance rather than progress.

Above it stands the Crown of Sunnwold. The old verse runs: "Climb with a pure heart, or your name shall vanish beneath the snow. Climb with greed, and the mountain will not even return your bones."

Two Grathuun warriors

The Grathuun Clans

Six clans · No unified kingdom

Among themselves, the people outsiders call Orcs are the Grathuun. They hold no kingdoms, archives or industry — history is carved into skin and recited around the fire by clan elders. Their grievance is historical rather than racial, and the six clans are as often at war with each other as with anyone else.

"While the world was breaking, we survived among the ashes. While we buried our dead… they drew borders."

The Hollow Cathedral in the Frozen North

The Hollow Cathedral

The Frozen North

Public belief holds that the Devil's heart lies beneath the cathedral. The truth is stranger: a failed god is imprisoned below it.

Somewhere in the same frozen reaches, a church prison holds what remains of Azaeron's body — a fact official doctrine denies entirely.

Gnomes and Tieflings of the wider world

Gnomes & Tieflings

Peoples of the wider world

Gnomes built Veilhaven's magical security culture and keep the trap-laced vault holding the Third Crystal.

Tieflings carry demonic ancestry and, with it, an inherited ability to recognise demonic influence that no other people possess. They warned centuries ago that if the world reached for ascension again, the Demons would follow. Their warnings were dismissed as the lies of a corrupted people.

Factions

Powers in motion

The Mana Eaters

The Black-Eyed · Seven leaders

They were heroes once. They fought in great wars, leaned on magic to survive them, and eventually stopped wanting to cast it — they wanted to absorb it, contain it, and become more than mortal through it. It worked, then it became an addiction, then they lost control.

Black eyes. Magical markings spreading across the skin like living tattoos. Armour-like growths where magic has hardened over the body. Long life, shared dreams, collective whispers — and, with every source consumed, another fragment of Azaeron's soul.

A worldwide order of spies, warriors, scholars and relic hunters divided under seven leaders, one for each crystal, none of whom work well together. Their doctrine is a single sentence: "The weak are not vessels for power."

The Church of Veilhaven

Guardian and accomplice

Publicly a guardian of divine order, moral discipline and protection against magical corruption. Privately, at least some within it know far more about the Seven Crystals, Azaeron and the true dangers of ascension than they have ever admitted.

The Church may genuinely believe it protects the world. It may also have committed unforgivable acts in the name of preventing catastrophe. Both can be true, and individual priests can be loving and guilty at the same time.

The Pact of the Three Flames

Humans · Elves · Dwarves

The alliance forged after the defeat of the Leviathan of the Veil, and the political foundation the modern world still rests on. It built Veilhaven's three-race governance and the trade dependency binding the city to Khaz Barum.

It also drew the borders that the Grathuun regard as theft, and it has never been renegotiated with anyone who was left outside it.

Why we build it

Project Veil is our R&D floor.

Veil is where Altergate runs a full visual development pipeline without a client brief in the way — character design through to production-ready sheets, with a written canon maintained in parallel so every design decision has a reason behind it that survives contact with a script.

It is the clearest demonstration of how we work: research, silhouette exploration, iteration on the strongest read, then the turnarounds, callouts and colour keys a modelling or animation team can actually build from.

Every discipline shown on this page is a service we deliver on commission.

Commission this pipeline →
What ships per character
Design exploration & silhouette pass Concept
Full-body character illustration Key art
Front / back turnaround Sheet
Expression & portrait studies Sheet
Weapon, prop & costume callouts Sheet
Locked colour palette Spec
Clean line art for downstream use Handoff
Canon entry & design rationale Written

New reveals every week.

Follow along as the world of Veil is built, one piece at a time.

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