Critical Role’s Candela Obscura heads to Dark Horse in a new graphic novel

Darrington Press and Dark Horse Comics have announced a graphic novel based on Candela Obscura, the investigative horror tabletop RPG showcased in Critical Role’s actual-play anthology of the same name. Candela Obscura Volume 1 tells an original story about Amelia Ashford, a junior investigator in the Circle of the Riddle and Key.

Amelia goes looking for answers about Empress Iomene without her circle’s permission. Beneath Newfaire, in the ruins of Oldfaire, she finds a relic that puts her in contact with the empress herself. Iomene offers to answer Amelia’s questions in exchange for her devotion. With fellow investigator Javri already looking to oust her from the circle, Amelia has to keep the bargain secret as she discovers what the relic can do.

Tini Howard and Blake Howard, who worked together on Vampire: The Masquerade – Winter’s Teeth, are writing the book. Fernando Heinz Furukawa (Dragon Age: Knight Errant) provides the art, with colours by Charlie Kirchoff and lettering by Ariana Maher.

What is Candela Obscura?

Darrington Press’s RPG takes place in the Fairelands, a fictional setting inspired by the turn of the 20th century. Its bustling city of Newfaire sits above the ruins of Oldfaire, where the remnants of an ancient civilisation lie beneath the streets. The game takes its name from the secret society that sends small teams of investigators, known as circles, to look into strange occurrences and protect the public from occult threats.

The core rulebook was led by designers Rowan Hall and Spenser Starke and was the first game to use Darrington Press’s six-sided-dice Illuminated Worlds System. Critical Role’s anthology follows different circles across its chapters, a structure that gives the comic room to introduce Amelia and her colleagues as another team working in the same world. The premise also puts a familiar dilemma from the tabletop game at the centre of Amelia’s story. The more she learns about the threat, the more closely she becomes bound to it.

Dark Horse has previously published Critical Role comics set in Exandria, including Vox Machina Origins and The Tales of Exandria.

Candela Obscura Volume 1 is scheduled for 3rd August 2027 from Dark Horse Books. The 56-page hardcover is currently listed in the US for $17.99.