In Gallia, when the longest night settles over the forests and the breath of winter stills even the streams, the people gather for the Rite of the Goat Mask. This custom is not a somber ritual, nor a celebration. It is something in between, a dance of memory, as old as the first paths Meirothea opened through the dark.

At the height of the Yule feast, the fire is quieted and all lights but one are dimmed. From a wooden chest, worn smooth by generations, the Goat Mask is lifted. Carved in the likeness of Meirothea’s guide, bearing her symbols, it is passed into the hands of the first performer.

When the mask is worn, the wearer becomes “the Goat.”

Not a person, not a villager, not someone bound by debts or quarrels or pride.

The Goat is a voice for the dead, free of judgment, free of shame, free to speak truths that living tongues often swallow.

One by one, those who take the mask must offer something to the night: a tale of someone who passed beyond the Veil this year, a song they once loved, a dance that echoes a shared moment, a poem that frees a buried grief, or simply a memory too heavy to carry alone.

Laughter is welcome. Tears are welcome. Silence, too, is welcome. For behind the mask, no one knows who speaks, and none may hold a grudge: Gallians say, “Chievre qui parole. Nuit qui prent.” What the Goat says belongs to the Night.

When all have spoken, danced, sung, or simply breathed out their sorrow, the final bearer of the mask steps outside into the cold.

There, they raise the mask toward the sky and trace a slow circle with it. It is the circle of the goat’s ancient path, the one believed to lead spirits from the world of frost to the moonlit road beyond the Veil.

Then the mask is lowered.
The lantern is brightened.
The fire roars again.
And the Goat’s work is done for another year.

Gallians say that on this night, the spirits walk lighter, and the living do too.

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The Consecration of the Goat Mask (Li Sacre du Maske-Chievre)

 In Gallia, when the longest night settles over the forests and the breath of winter stills even the streams, the people gather for the Rite of the Go...

Sit down by the fireplace and listen to the story behind the Yule Crown of Winter, the tale of Arduina’s first hunt…

When Meirothea first walked with humankind, she gave them the moon, so they might see into the dark. She gave them language, so they could shape stories, remember their dead, and ease the weight of sorrow. She gave them music, so joy could rise even in the leanest days.

But with her also came the first winter, and despite the moon’s gentle light, Man still feared the long night. Snow drowned the familiar paths, the forests turned silent, and the living felt as lost as their memories were fragile.

Seeing this, Meirothea called upon Arduinna, the wild fay of the deep woods, whose feet knew every hidden hollow and whose heart beat with the promise of spring.

Arduinna answered without a word. She ran into the snow and the darkness, her Golden Hind at her side, and where she passed, new paths unfurled behind her, trails that had never existed until she willed them into being. Paths that curved toward shelter, toward hearths, toward safety.

The living followed those fresh tracks through the night, finding warmth and one another once more. At dawn, Arduinna’s Hind returned to Meirothea with berries caught in its antlers: bright seeds of renewal, gathered along the run to remind the living that winter is only a season, not an end.

Thus, the Gallians craft the Yule Crown of Winter in homage to the Arduinna and her Golden Hind. Worn at the close of the Yule procession, it honors Arduinna’s gift: a sign that after mourning the dead, the living must step forward again, and that even in winter, new paths can still be made.

Have you crafted it yet? Share your screenshots in the #screenshots channel

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Happy Yule to the Paxian Community

 Hello Paxians, Happy Yule to everyone!  Sit down by the fireplace and listen to the story behind the Yule Crown of Winter, the tale of Arduina’s firs...

This patch introduces significant changes to the Mournel tree-balancing algorithm to address community feedback. The issues we’re addressing are:

In our first Mournel balancing, large trees dropped a significant amount of Mournwood, and when this tree type spawned, it was always the only one available in Lyonesse at the time. As a result, the optimal strategy for gathering Mournwood was to form a large, uncontestable group, undermining the intended PvP dynamics in Lyonesse.

Additionally, spawn times are currently concentrated within a very narrow time window.

There’s been wide speculation about how the instances affect the Mournels. We fully agree that we don’t want any tree to be harvestable without being contested.

These changes to the trees will be as follows:

The base spawn times will be expanded to cover 4:30 PM local time to 11:30 PM local time, every day, in the region, with the most spawns happening between 7 PM and 9 PM, so the time span covered is more than double that of the earlier. 

Every day of the week will feature the same base spawns, which are all made of the small trees, with all four buildable areas of Lyonesse getting a spawn at the same time. The 7 PM and 9 PM spawns will feature a total of 8 concurrent spawns, 2 per area. With this change, a large group can still dominate a single tree if they so choose. Still, it will be impossible to block all tree acquisition for the spawn moment entirely, and the wood yield per participant will be very low, so the optimal strategy will be to go after multiple small trees with smaller groups. 

The large number of spawns will also mean smaller groups are much more likely to find a tree that might not be contested at all, or is being harvested by a group they can engage. The intent of the trees has always been that there is a significant risk of PvP when harvesting them, but actual fighting is not guaranteed every time, and this update should move the needle in this direction.

Having spawns occur concurrently in four areas greatly reduces the chance of a second instance being created, which in rare cases could otherwise leave a group alone in that second instance.

Tuesdays and Saturdays will continue to be special, with extra spawns in the central Lyonesse area. These spawns partially overlap the spawns in other areas, so up to 11 trees will be spawned at the same time in the whole of Lyonesse. Both days will feature an additional medium and large tree spawn, so there is still a reason for larger-scale battles.

To accommodate the significantly higher number of spawns, the amount of wood per Mournel has been slightly reduced to 16, 50, and 160. Overall, the total amount of Mournwood that can be gathered per day and per week remains almost unchanged after these balancing adjustments.

We’ll monitor how these changes affect the overall experience in Lyonesse and continue to discuss the game's future with all of you on Discord.

Notably, we are aware of performance issues in large-scale battles and have profiled the game to identify the root causes of the degradation. We have good leads on what is happening and are actively working to fix the performance issues we’re seeing. We’re also working on additional changes to improve performance presets for rendering.

Patch Notes - Verse 5 Patch 1.1 - Dec.19

 This patch introduces significant changes to the Mournel tree-balancing algorithm to address community feedback. The issues we’re addressing are: In ...

Welcome to the second edition of Gallia’s Community Newsletter! This edition features clan recruitment, public events, community-led initiatives, and a new player-built tool supporting Gallia’s markets. Let’s dive in.

🛡️ Recruiting Clan — Knights of Valour

: US East - Sif [RP] – Inis Gallia - Jura

 focused on growth, connection, and long-term community. Welcoming both casual and dedicated players, the clan places a strong emphasis on inclusivity, especially for adults 30+, parents, evening gamers, and weekend warriors.

Whether your interests lie in trading, PvP encounters, or PvE challenges, Knights of Valour aims to create a space where friendships form and every playstyle is respected.

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Luminari hosts a weekly public dungeon run

, open to all players regardless of combat experience. Dungeons rotate weekly across provinces, with a focus on the local temple dungeon and additional parties tackling rivulet dungeons. 

Participants are organized into independent teams of six (tank, healer, DPS) for smooth runs and maximum fun. Loot is distributed as evenly as possible, with pre-bids for named drops.

All participants must have Down Petra unlocked as a teleport point.

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Virelux showcases a strong example of organic clan life built around shared spaces and shared time. By connecting all clan plots, members created a central guild hall and storage hall, often gathering at Viggo’s Tavern to chat while crafters prepare food and alchemy supplies.

New members have access to a dedicated lower-level storage area to help them get started, with gear, materials, and support readily available. The clan favors a relaxed onboarding approach, allowing players to explore freely while always being available to answer questions. Discord is optional, with in-game chat remaining fully supported.

Based in the south-east of Dolavon, The Rangers are known for their welcoming approach to new players. Beyond operating a clan market, members often go further, recently helping recruits by collectively building starter homes and complete workstation sets.

Support is offered at each player's preferred pace: hands-on help for those who want it, quiet guidance for those who prefer to learn on their own. The clan also encourages cooperation beyond its borders and is currently discussing joint dungeon runs with another region’s clan.

Their guiding principle is simple: everyone should feel welcome — clan member or not. Several players have noted that this kind of support made the difference in sticking with the game, especially during the early experience.

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Community Tool Spotlight — Pax Dei Market Tracking

Community member Adain has added a new feature to their site focused on market activity. Players can now, among other things, track their orders and view market activity across locations

A useful addition for traders and crafters alike.

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That’s all for this week’s highlights!

If you or your clan are hosting events, building something special, or contributing tools or initiatives to the community, send us a DM as we’d love to feature you in an upcoming edition.

Gallia’s Newsletter - Community Highlights - Dec. 18 edition

 Hello Paxians, Welcome to the second edition of Gallia’s Community Newsletter! This edition features clan recruitment, public events, community-led i...

We recently unveiled our upcoming temporary Yule 

, and we’re happy to share that the event will run from December 17, 2025, after maintenance (around 11 am UTC), to January 13, 2026!

This month-long celebration will give you plenty of time to gather ingredients and craft our festive Yule recipes. To begin, you’ll need to craft (on the Log workbench) and equip your Yule Charm, which will unlock access to Yule-exclusive resources. If you unequip it, you won’t be able to see these resources. From there, you can explore all the seasonal recipes—and even prepare a few extra items to trade or sell once the event comes to an end. 😉

We’re looking forward to seeing your homes, villages, and market stalls transformed with seasonal decorations, and of course, your characters proudly wearing their new festive attire.

For our lore aficionados, we’ve also prepared a short text exploring the origins of Yule in Pax Dei and the symbolism of the goat.

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The ancients said that in the First Winter, before people knew how to mourn or remember, the dead wandered.

The Veil was thin, but the paths were dark, and nothing guided the lost souls home. Even Meirothea, whose moonlight softened the night, could not illuminate every place where sorrow hid.

One evening, as she walked across the frost, Meirothea found a child’s spirit sitting beneath a bare tree. The child was cold, afraid, unable to speak their own name, for humanity had not yet learned a true language, only a handful of words, and none for grief or mourning.

Meirothea knelt and whispered, “Little one, follow my voice.” But the child could not rise. Their feet were tangled in shadows.

So, Meirothea called for her wolf. But the wolf’s steps were too heavy, and the shadows grew wary of his teeth.

Then, Meirothea called for her bird. But the bird’s wings could not reach the low places where sorrow pools.

So Meirothea called out a third time, into the stillness of the world: “If any creature knows the hidden roads, show them to me.”

From the dark roots of the tree, a small shape emerged. A creature with bright eyes, nimble hooves, and horns like twin crescent moons. It bowed to Meirothea, as though it had been waiting for her to speak.

The goat stepped to the child’s spirit and gently touched them with its horn. Where it touched, the shadows loosened. The goat turned, walking a path that had not existed the moment before, a path that wound between the thorns of sorrow and the deep drifts of forgetfulness. And the child followed. 

When they reached the Veil, the goat returned to Meirothea and bowed again. “Why do you help the lost?” the Redeemer asked. The goat did not speak, goats still rarely do, but it placed its forehead against her hand, and she understood: “Because the living rarely look downward, and the dead often do.”

From that day, the goat walked before Meirothea in all winter journeys. Its hooves found every hidden road. Its horns broke every snare of shadow. And its bright eyes reflected every soul who sought the way home.

So at Yule, we weave little straw goats to honor the First Guide. We place them in doorways, on hearths, or beside the fire or a lantern, believing the goat still walks unseen, clearing a path for the spirits of the departed.

And we say: “A wolf guards, a bird warns, but a goat leads you home.”

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Celebrate Yule in-game with a limited-time event!

 Hello Paxians, We recently unveiled our upcoming temporary Yule  , and we’re happy to share that the event will run from December 17, 2025, after mai...

After a successful testing phase on the Public Test Shard Arcadia, we’re excited to announce that our new content update, 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29y8gWki8NY

We would like to thank all players who provided feedback during the testing phase, as that allowed us to make adjustments and changes before deploying to live. We are still 

Verse 5 - Battle for Lyonesse is now live! (en anglais)

 Hello Paxians! After a successful testing phase on the Public Test Shard Arcadia, we’re excited to announce that our new content update,  Verse 5 - B...

DernièresNouvelles

The Consecration of the Goat Mask (Li Sacre du Maske-Chievre)

Happy Yule to the Paxian Community

Patch Notes - Verse 5 Patch 1.1 - Dec.19

The Consecration of the Goat Mask (Li Sacre du Maske-Chievre)

Happy Yule to the Paxian Community

Patch Notes - Verse 5 Patch 1.1 - Dec.19

Gallia’s Newsletter - Community Highlights - Dec. 18 edition

Celebrate Yule in-game with a limited-time event!

Verse 5 - Battle for Lyonesse is now live! (en anglais)

Verse 5 - Battle for Lyonesse - Release Notes (en anglais)

In-game temporary event - Celebrate Yule (en anglais)

Gallia’s Community Newsletter - Dec 4 edition (en anglais)

Feudal Sovereignty: Claim the Unclaimable (Verse 5) (en anglais)