Welcome to the Salt Mystic Story Arcade, a welcoming reception lobby and home of Grailrunner Publishing’s iconic (and free) Lore Cards Deck. Come explore one-minute short fiction set in the Salt Mystic science fiction universe, where gunslingers duel with ball lightning, forgotten treasures (and dooms) lie tucked away in pockets of artificial space, and a simple fable can shake the world. Read more about that here if you’re new.

How does this work?

The images lead to free one-page cards bearing an original art piece and its related piece of flash fiction. Click what you like, and the pdf loads up for you. It’s immersive, escapist science fiction & fantasy for busy people who want something free of politics and agenda, and that’s innovative and new. That’s Salt Mystic, and welcome to it!

Cool? Enjoy. Then go here and buy the Sourcebook And Core Rules for Salt Mystic to dig deeper.

Lore cards 001-003: An adventuring cartographer of artificial space, why armored jesters wear those ugly helmets, and a boy’s first carbine duel…

Lore cards 004-006: An aspiring codeswarm hacker braves the Stonewisp Wastelands, an introduction to a lone bastion of freedom in the frozen north, and a sprawling & cluttered building as large as a nation…

Lore cards 007-009: What it takes to steer nightmare hybrids of machine and lunatic, a dreamer braving the skies in a cluttered cityscape, and an introduction to a place of airship miracles…

Lore cards 010-012: A city built on the back of a mummified beast, daring border patrols sensing for underground ghost tanks, and a War Marshal with a mysterious father…

Lore cards 013-015: Maps thought to be imaginary often aren’t, meet commanders who steer tornadoes, and visit the Oriel Fields where gates lead to other worlds…

Lore cards 016-018: The mysterious and deadly White Fleet of the northern seas, a wandering gunslinger seeking his fortune among the space gates, and a train that takes seekers to a mystical hallucination…

Lore cards 019-021: An eclectic lakeside town houses a very old gateway and its enigmatic story, a journalist embedded in a vanguard tactical group learns about ramship drivers, and a piece on just how they built a republic so big they called it ‘infinite’…

Lore cards 022 – 024: The story of an enigmatic statue overlooking a lakeside city, the fearful Wisptaken, and a stranger’s secret search high on a mountain plateau…

Lore cards 025 – 026: A strange conversation in the high city’s morning mist, a hopeful reminder of who watches over us, and a reason to keep clear of certain visitors to the Mountain City…

Lore cards 028-030: A prospecting gunslinger’s deadly encounter., a mighty city frozen in its final fiery end, Auroch and his talking rifle ponder the reasons for a flooded oriel..

Lore cards 031-032: A universe created as a poem, a derelict ship perched high in a canyon…

What’s next?

Bookmark or subscribe to this site or keep up with us on Facebook for new Lore Cards as they’re published, and be the first to hear about boneshaking announcements of upcoming merchandise, books, or game expansions!

Want to be featured on a Salt Mystic Lore Card?

Submissions:

We do periodically accept short fiction and art pieces set in the Salt Mystic world on the Grailrunner website and on our social media, as well as on these Lore Cards. If you’re interested in participating, pick up a copy of the Salt Mystic Core Rules And Sourcebook for inspiration and contact us here:  brian (at) grailrunner.com. (Anything you submit should tie to something in the Sourcebook.)

Art:  Generally, we don’t pay royalties or purchase art pieces unless specially commissioned, but feel free to contact us for consideration. By submitted your work to us, you’re granting electronic-display rights on the Grailrunner website and its associated social media pages (Twitter and Facebook). 

Short fiction: Short works of fiction must include at least one element from the Sourcebook, be original work with rights owned by the submitter, and must not include anything resembling pornography or hate speech. No overtly political works will be considered. This is escapism and science fantasy. Lengths welcomed as high as 500 words, but not much longer. Contact at email above for more details. Even if we don’t purchase your work, you may still wish to have it posted on the sites.