Dev Log – Late Q2 Update and Shift in Priorities

Date: May 26, 2025

Kniraven LLC enters the final stretch of Q2 2025 with a focused but realistic view of its current development status. Founder Nickolas D. Patino and Chief Operations Officer Reidar Benson are currently two months behind their intended production schedule. The delay is due primarily to Patino’s extended work hours in his full-time job as a financial analyst, where he’s been regularly putting in 12-hour days for several months straight. This left little time to produce the originally planned daily video content across social platforms.

As a result, the team pivoted toward infrastructure and foundation building, focusing on improving the website experience, reinforcing brand presentation, and providing more comprehensive information to potential supporters.

Key Accomplishments This Quarter

• Comprehensive Navigation Overhaul: A new menu system was implemented to significantly improve user experience across desktop and mobile views.
• Website Content Expansion: Homepage, vision, and lore pages were rewritten and expanded with improved messaging to help visitors understand Kniraven’s mission and scope.
• Store Launch: The online store has officially gone live, debuting with the Kniraven Embroidered Shield Patch priced at $9.99. It marks the first physical product in what will become a larger branded merch line.
• Support Pages Enabled: The Donations and Membership pages are now active, allowing community members to contribute directly toward development costs, including office buildout and art commissions.

Technical Stack and Deployment Workflow

Development continues using Git. Both Nickolas and Reidar work on local branches on their personal PCs, pushing feature work into a shared UAT (User Acceptance Testing) branch. UAT updates are tested on a staging environment before being merged into the production branch, which deploys to Kniraven’s AWS EC2 instance.

Challenges and Team Updates

One roadblock has been the sudden and unexplained absence of the project’s artist, Elzdraw, who has not responded to messages in over three weeks. This has impacted art pipeline scheduling, particularly for key visuals tied to content marketing and store products.

On a positive note, Noelle Gates has joined the project as a contractor to help produce custom clothing items that will eventually be added to the shop. The team also recently acquired a resale permit and seller’s license to support merchandise production and supply sourcing without sales tax.

Next 30 Days

The immediate focus is on returning to full-time TTRPG development, specifically completing and showcasing core gameplay mechanics. Updates on combat systems, progression structure, and mechanical innovations are expected soon.

Kniraven LLC continues to move forward with steady determination, even if the timeline has shifted. With no investors or external funding, every milestone achieved is a testament to personal effort and vision.

IRL Platform Preview – Real-Life Progression for RPG Players

For those who love RPGs but crave real-world transformation, Kniraven LLC’s upcoming IRL platform is poised to deliver a fresh kind of social experience. Unlike other social media platforms, IRL gamifies real-life self-improvement, group belonging, and personal development—without algorithms, ads, or invasive data harvesting.

Planned Core Features

• Ability Score & Class System: Users will assess their real-world strengths to determine a profile that reflects their “IRL character.”
• Digital Badges: Earn achievements based on tasks completed, progress made, and milestones reached in life, work, health, or creative pursuits.
• Group Mechanics: Form Parties, Guilds, and even larger Alliances to collaborate, compete, and share accountability.
• Public Profiles with Privacy Controls: Customize what others can see. Show off or keep it minimal—user agency comes first.

Bot Resistance and Moderation Plans

IRL will be protected by a layered system of subscription-based access and human moderation. These systems are intended to prevent the bot saturation and spam problems that plague conventional platforms.

While specific incentives for community moderation are still in the planning phase, Kniraven’s guiding principle remains: the platform must feel like a meaningful space for serious users—not a digital wasteland of noise and bots.

Integration With the TTRPG

The long-term goal is to merge IRL accounts with TTRPG mechanics—enabling players to reflect real-life stats, progress, and social structures in-game. This cross-functional design will allow users to live their characters both inside and outside of the campaign world, creating a truly immersive lifestyle network for RPG enthusiasts.

Initial development has been slow due to project delays, but foundational planning is complete. MVP features will begin rolling out following renewed development momentum in Q3 2025.

Life Update – Building Kniraven Through Grit, Debt, and Determination

Behind every ambitious project is a relentless human story, and Kniraven LLC is no exception. Founder Nickolas D. Patino has been pouring energy into this venture while maintaining an intensive full-time job as a financial analyst. Balancing long workdays, often 12 hours or more, with nights and weekends dedicated to building a transmedia empire is not easy—but it’s the reality of an independent creator who refuses to give up.

One of the most significant personal developments in recent months is the decision by Nickolas and his partner Taylor to begin financing a full garage-to-office conversion. This new space will serve as Kniraven’s HQ, media studio, and creative think tank. The choice wasn’t made lightly. It’s a long-term financial commitment that will take years to pay off, but it’s rooted in a belief that the business is worth building—no matter the personal risk.

Philosophy and Mental Focus

“If not now, then when?” is the mindset that drives this journey. Patino understands that waiting for the “perfect time” leads only to missed opportunity. To him, the real definition of success isn’t fame or money—it’s completion. Finishing what was started. Building the thing that’s lived in his head since middle school.

“I started this TTRPG in the 8th grade,” he says. “It’s gone through dozens of versions. It’s not just a game—it’s a lifelong creative pursuit.”

While there’s no true work-life balance—just constant momentum—Taylor has been fully supportive. She shares the vision and is excited about what the future holds. In many ways, the project provides a sense of purpose and distraction from daily stress. “The work distracts me. It helps me cope. Between the dream and my anti-anxiety meds, I keep going.”

What’s at Stake

The business isn’t venture-backed. It has no external investors, no safety net. Every expense, from merchandise to hosting, is paid out of pocket. Yet there’s a clarity in that risk: there’s no one to answer to but the vision itself. And with each passing month, Kniraven gets closer to being real—not just as a product, but as a lifestyle and mission.

System Spotlight – A Look Into the Kniraven TTRPG's Core Mechanics

The Kniraven TTRPG is a fantasy system born not in a boardroom, but in a backyard—conceived by Nickolas D. Patino in the 8th grade while playing with neighborhood friends. Since then, it has grown through dozens of iterations into something far more refined, personal, and ambitious.

What Makes It Different

• Two d12s: Every major roll uses two twelve-sided dice—Radiant Aether and Rot—representing light and dark, order and chaos. This dual-axis system adds complexity and flavor to every encounter.
• Twelve Ability Scores: Unlike traditional systems with six core stats, Kniraven features twelve distinct ability scores to allow deeper character differentiation and to better reflect mental, physical, and spiritual nuance.
• Reactions: Players stay involved even outside their turns, with mechanics that allow for active participation during combat and dialogue.
• Armor as Damage Mitigation: Armor reduces incoming damage instead of influencing attack rolls, making tanking and positioning feel more tactical and deliberate.
• Progression Unshackled: The experience system is designed so that rewards aren’t based on DM favoritism or performative roleplay. Character growth is fair, clear, and non-negotiable.

Inspirations

The system draws inspiration from Phantasy Star Online spells like Megid and Grants, as well as from ancient mythos and esoteric systems. It embraces mature themes, dark romanticism, strategic planning, and grey morality.

Instead of spoon-feeding players a binary good-vs-evil narrative, the Kniraven TTRPG forces players to grapple with the consequences of their decisions and engage with complex social, magical, and moral frameworks.

Future Licensing and Release Plans

Nickolas plans to release a free version of the core rule system under an open or hybrid license—something in the spirit of 3.5e or early 5e. This approach ensures accessibility while still protecting the unique identity and IP structure of the Kniraven universe.

More in-depth mechanics are planned for public sharing in Q3 2025 as development resumes in full force.

We’re working hard to make Kniraven.com the best experience possible — but with so many features launching in rapid succession, we know a few bugs might slip through the cracks.

If you encounter any glitches, broken links, visual issues, or weird behavior on the site, please let us know by commenting directly on this post.

🛠 What to Report

• ⚠️ Page errors or PHP warnings
• 🔗 Broken or misdirected links
• 📱 Layout bugs (especially on mobile)
• 💬 Text mistakes, typos, or confusing language
• 🐞 Anything that looks or feels wrong

💡 How to Report

1. Scroll to the comments section below.
2. Describe the issue clearly — include what page you were on and what you expected vs. what happened.
3. If possible, take a screenshot and upload it via Imgur or your preferred tool. Then you can include the link in your post.

🚨 Security or Critical Issues

If you find something detrimental, security-related, or that could harm the website or its users, please do not post it publicly.

Instead, email a detailed report directly to admin@kniraven.com. We take all such reports seriously and will respond as quickly as possible.

Your feedback helps us polish this platform and ensures it runs smoothly for everyone. Every bug you catch is one step closer to a better Kniraven for all of us.

Thank you, Knights. Let’s build something great together. 🛡

This week we have migrated our Domain Registrar, DNS Management, File Hosting, SQL Servers, SSH Certificates. and everything else away from GoDaddy into Amazon Web Services. We've also migrated from GitLab to GitHub! We still have some clean up to do in our databases to get all of the applications up and running again but things are going well!

Hello! Just checking in to see how these posts turn out.
I can't remember how much formatting I made available.
strong
I am wondering if this blog app would work well ont he home page for new posts about things.

• Car is making a strange noise, need to take it in to the shop tomorrow.
• My incredibly large molar filling fell out when I was using a water flosser, so I have a dentist appointment this week. I imagine I will need to full on replace the tooth.
• I have a test due tomorrow, and then I am done with my PHPWeb Development course. I think I am going to get an A.

• First and foremost, I’ve been contemplating why it is that objective truth/logic is not valued more highly. People seem more likely to support without evidence a narrative which benefits them, excuses them, or validates than one which is derived from reason but lacks those listed qualities. Furthermore, some people seem keen to agree with or allow something they don’t believe in rather than be at conflict.
  So now I wonder, is that admirable? Would my life be better if I did the same? Would I be happier? And, would I have lost anything important?
  Sometimes now, I commit falsehoods I’ve seen others commit in ignorance so that my awareness does not disadvantage me. These are acts I’ve called out before, but my peers thought were no big deal. I am certain some of these peers know that I know better, but they don’t say anything to me either. Do they know I’m a conscious hypocrite, or do they think I’m an ignorant one?
• Today I received my new BEACN mic. The product mixes sound within the mic itself, allowing the user to listen to their voice w/ EQ changes and modifications to it live as they speak (no delay). I expected this to be an upgrade from my El Gato Wave-3, the industry’s best USB mic up until now. Unfortunately, mine seems to maybe be defective. The output is way too quiet.
• I have a big PHP project due tomorrow. It’s a weight loss management app for tracking exercise add calories burned. I haven’t even started it… I suck. When I’m done though I’m going to add it to this site.

• I bought a house in July of 2021. After growing up homeless in a broken family, I am proud to have a house, car, long-term partner, and some disposable income.


• I've been doing a lot of thinking about my life. I'm in my thirties now. My parents are gone, and I don't know how much longer my grandmother has left. I don't know what all I want to know from her before she is gone and all that history is lost. As for me? I am at the end of my youth. I feel like I am running out of time to do things I want to do.


• My health is poor. I weigh 354 lbs (the most I've ever weighed in my life). I am dealing with GERD/Acid-Reflux and am dependent Esomeprazole. My mind often fogs, I am tired all of the time, and I am struggling to multitask.


• I spend entirely too much time zoning out, mouth hanging open, staring at random youtube/tik-tok/instagram videos or searching for music (or something else) to put on in the background while I "actually work". Other than that, I am trying to get my professional work done while preparing to DM for 3 separate groups in my Wishes of Nibiru campaign.


• I absolutely have to lose weight


• I have two friends who regularly keep contact with and check on me, and one of them I have never met in person.

Hello. I have just gotten done setting up a basic login page for this site. I am getting a bit better at php it looks like.

Where should I start? I still have a 4.0 GPA. I was promoted to Billing Team Lead. I broke my leg and got into my first car crash. I surprised my grandmother for her 75th birthday.

I should be asleep right now, but I want to test our netlify's form feature. I just finished my Intro to Database final project.

Tomorrow, after work, I will finish my last two tests for the semester.

It was a long day yesterday. I missed class for the first time in order to meet my friends' new baby girl.

I've never been as excited to meet a baby before. They're my first close friends to have a kid. She's also the first child I've volunteered to hold. she was adorable.

For homework I queried an Apache database using PHP. That was kind of cool and new to me.

Now I'm passing out and/or heading to sleep in the baby's parents' guest room. I'm watching their pets while they recover at the hospital. Good night everyone.

Hello all, I am learning to use git.
More specifically, I am messing around on GitHub for the first time. Right now, I am about to try and deploy my site from git so that I can more easily edit it from anywhere.

Other tasks for tonight include:

• Utilizing Bootstrap on this site.
• Using JavaScript to dynamically update my navigation bar.
• Adding PC stories to the Wishes of Nibiru sub site

It is 5:25pm CST. I just got done reading The Effort Effect in Stanford Magazine. It was assigned by my Intro to Databases professor as extra credit. It speaks on the difference in mentality between people who view setbacks as a lack of effort on their part vs those who view them as a lack of static personal ability.

For the most part, I feel like the sort of person who views setbacks as a personal lacking of effort. However, according to the div I do have one tendency indicative of the other category. I feel threatened by the success of others. I don't feel literally threatened, but I feel jealousy and a drive to surpass them. I need to think about those feelings and whether or not they're healthy.

It is 6:30pm CST. Right now I am in Java class. We are learning about Static Methods/Variables and about Final variables (constants). My professor, Randy Bielby, is showing us a demo utilizing different sided dice as an example. He asked the class "I think D&D uses dice. Anybody know how many sides D&D dice have?" HA! I went off immediately listing all of the dice.

Shout out to Martin Rivera, his next example involved counting ducks. Lol

I also learned about default constructors (no arg constructors). I am about to head out now. I still need to complete a test for Intro to Database and complete the extra credit assignment.

No work to the site was done today. This is more of a personal journal entry.

I did my MATC homework today. Advanced Web Design homework today involves Grid view with floats. This seems significantly worse than flex-box. That is what I am learning in that class this week.
For Java, I completed my work in class last monday. It is an exercise in using sub-classes and abstract methods.
I haven't yet looked at or worked on my Intro to Database homework which is due tomorrow at midnight. I plan to get a start on that after I am done writing this.

So... Game of Thrones, Season 8, Episode 2 just happened.
It felt a little wrong seeing Masie Williams breasts. I predict Jamie, Grey Wurm, and Daenerys are all going to die.

Today I added all my social media buttons.
In addition, I've placed large button links to my D&D campaign sub-sites on the homepage.

So far, sub-sites will be for:

• Wishes of Nibiru Modern DS & 5E campaign
• Deadly Destined 5E Campaign I participate in
• Daymond Sky A build of the lore and system

Kniraven is currently in the process of rebuilding this site. Completion is estimated to occur by July 22, 2019.

Feel free to reach out to Kniraven via email at Kniraven@Kniraven.com