Metroidvania and Soulslike players feel like their backs are against the wall. They can no longer figure out if something in a game is AI. They absolutely do not trust localization experts to translate a phrase or concept from Japanese into a Western language without making it fruity. And they no longer trust developers to launch games that work without needing 5 follow-up patches. That's the gap our game (tentatively titled Head & Blood) is built for. It's a 2D Metroidvania where Koja, a Brotherhood of the Wolf berserker, starts with his full moveset. So there's no XP gating, locked abilities, and snowballing. I'm not going to rely on agenda-driven localization. Everything in the game is human-made. And we don't care about offending anybody (whether they have the blue hair of a Portlander or the eyebrows of Ben Shapiro). Also, we're fanatical about prototyping and testing everything in our game before building more content within it. We're testing to see if the 3 foundational C's (camera, controls, character ) work and feel good to play before building anything else on the game. Join our email list here:

Tales of Khayr

At Tales of Khayr, we will never insult you with coombaiting. At least deliberately.

In games, more does not =better. If players are being asked to do homework before they can have fun, that's no good. You'll notice that in our Brotherhood of the Wolf series (whether in comic book or prose) the writing is very tight. That's b/c we're ruthless about what is serving the story vs. what is self-indulgent fluff (below is the cover for BotW Issue#3) learn more here:

Tales of Khayr

If I were to develop a game, I'd want it to be difficult. If I want to bake in meaningful difficulty in single-player, I'd be deliberatly "stingey"about using too many guard rails (e.g. checkpoints) Too much checkpointing can kneecap the fun of tension, route mastery, resource discipline, etc.

A Sipahi does not write emails:

A Sipahi does not write emails

I am Cem Demirci, Sipahi of Thessaloniki, and I have been told I must write you this… email. Apparently you people (with your electric lights...

We’re at a fork in the road: use zakat to fund lobbying, or build the infrastructure the right way. When Muslims in the Yookay (yes, I know I tease them sometimes) needed halal meat, they could’ve compromised but instead did the hard work, and now halal meat is everywhere (mashaAllah). Shortcuts feel efficient, but they can cripple you long-term. Are we really so spiritually bankrupt that we have to bankroll politics with charity meant for the poor?

"Since I was cut from the reedbed, I have made this crying sound. Anyone apart from someone he loves understands what I say. Anyone pulled from a source longs to go back" -Jalaluddin Rumi, Song of the Reed

S&S writers keep saying "someone needs to try serialized Sword & Sorcery" while waiting for someone else to go first. We went first. Brotherhood of the Wolf: 1444. Ottoman Empire. Byzantine giants. Forbidden sorcery. A coward who must find courage. "Best modern S&S since Howard Andrew Jones." Issues #1-2 ($24.99) or + False Light novella ($28.98). Issue #3 drops Spring '26. Get caught up:

Blood Tax

#brotherhoodofthewolf #swordandsorcery #pulpfiction

Good fiction entertains you. The best fiction entertains you AND makes you think something you didn't beforehand. Brotherhood of the Wolf (crusaders, Janissaries, blood magic, "thin places") did both to me. Might do the same for you:

Blood Tax

Calling an influencer's followers idiots doesn’t solve any problem. You must understand the appeal.

In the Islamic law, it is a requirement to use water to clean oneself after answering the call of nature. Using toilet paper alone is insufficient. Fox News Boomers and ZOGbots will claim this is an example of “creeping sharia”. But these bitches have skid marks the size of NASCAR tracks, so why would you listen to them? #creepingsharia

If you've ever played Age of Empires: •Crusaders vs. Ottomans •Constantinople's final years •1444, Battle of Varna You might know this era. Now imagine that world with blood magic, the Veil between worlds, and "things" slipping through. Such is Brotherhood of the Wolf. #BrotherhoodoftheWolf #swordandsorcery

Most American comics: • 20-22 pages of story • Rest is ads • $4-5 per issue • Heroes who sound/act like American millennials • Milquetoast worlds Brotherhood of the Wolf: • 32-34 pages per issue • ZERO ads • Real history (1444 C.E) • Morally complex sword & sorcery characters • $12.50 per issue in the starter bundle Simply not the same. Get the starter bundle here:

Blood Tax

The battle fury of the Janissaries is terrifying to behold. Their discipline, devotion, and prowess a manifestation of unstoppable force. #BrotherhoodoftheWolf #swordandsorcery Learn more here:

Blood Tax

Soft yeses create harder noes later.

Brotherhood of the Wolf is pulp... but more substantial pulp. Get it here:

Blood Tax

They say that you should prioritize discussing what you love over criticizing what you hate. But what if you love to hate?🤔

The kilij is an incarnation of destruction. It is the tool by which the sipahi bring about the death of the Sultan's foes (this is the first panel of page 6 from Issue#3 of Brotherhood of the Wolf) Learn more here:

Blood Tax

Brotherhood of the Wolf is fantasy. Let’s get that out of the way. But it is not epic fantasy in the Lord of the Rings or A Song of Ice and Fire sense. Our worldbuilding is very light-touch and contextual. Brotherhood is sword & sorcery, the classic kind. What does that mean for you? You won’t get a slow, meditative drip of “heroin”. You’ll get a high-octane jolt of “cocaine”: Dense plot, lots of momentum and action. We disbelieve in filler scenes. Read accordingly. Caveat lector.

An update for everyone who ordered Brotherhood of the Wolf Issues #1 & #2: both books are now printed and in hand with our fulfillment partner. Due to the holiday break, shipping will begin when they reopen on Monday, Dec 29, with orders going out in the order received. Thanks for your patience , I'm excited to get these into your hands.