July 2025 Newsletter

An entity spawned from the Screaming Wastes’ cursed sediment—dust ground from ancient bones and crystallized tears of the damned. This abomination masquerades as wind-carved human silhouettes, its form held together by the agonized sounds of the souls it has devoured.

The Siltscream silently stalks victims for days, feeding on their mounting terror before striking. It forces prey to vocalise a harmony with its resonant structure, their vocal cords tearing to produce inhuman sounds. Victims die slowly, bleeding out from ruptured vocal organs, their throats shredding as the creature puppets their voices into a hellish chorus.

The consumed souls remain trapped, their consciousness intact but powerless—forced to experience every future kill through the creature’s senses. Each victim adds another layer to its cacophonous voice, creating an ever-growing symphony that echoes across the Wastes.

The creator had this to say:
“They say the deaf can’t hear the Wastes’ wail, but I watched a mute woman’s throat tear open, blood streaming as she ‘sang’ words she’d never spoken. The Siltscream cares not for your body’s limitations.”

Congratulations to Kaustubh Limaye  – and thank you to all who took the time to enter! After the success of this competition, we will certainly be opening more up to the community. We had great fun picking and choosing, and really enjoyed seeing how creative you are!

Well, between our busy schedules, the creative team ummed and ahhed before going back to basics: what was the competition all about?

We shared with the community our vision for the Screaming Wastes through a lore teaser. This location is vital to the story and learning about Tidefall’s deep history – but the location is also really weird. It is this weirdness, this distinction, the eldritch history of that swayed us toward the Siltscream.

This is a strange, eerie, powerful creature – it is cosmic, purgatorial, and terrifying. In that way, it reflects the Screaming Wastes’ lore. We expect it to haunt and frighten players whilst also prompting them to learn more about the world and how it came to be.

Some entries did not quite fit into the Screaming Wastes theme, despite being excellent concepts and designs. As we are working on Tidefall as a whole, we are always keeping our eyes peeled for additional ideas. One we really loved, though not for the Screaming Wastes, was the Virelisk.

“The Virelisk of the Depths is a winged creature that merges the lethal nature of the basilisk with the predatory agility of the wyvern. Standing three meters tall, it has gray-green camouflaged scales, clawed bat-like wings, and a reptilian head with glowing multi-faceted eyes. It dwells in caves, dark swamps, or forgotten ruins, where it waits for its prey. Its petrifying gaze doesn’t act instantly but causes gradual paralysis, leaving victims fully conscious. Its serpentine jaws inject a numbing venom, while its infected claws melt both flesh and metal. The Virelisk glides noiselessly thanks to specialized membranes, striking with deadly precision. Sightings are rare and often fatal; legends describe it as a guardian of forgotten portals or a creature created by ancient dark cults. No one has ever dared to capture one. Where silence reigns and stone seems to breathe, the Virelisk watches.“

We will be contacting the Virelisk’s creator, REV from Discord, to discuss where else the monster might slot into the world. So, congratulations to REV!