Outside These City Walls is a short story in puzzle form.

In 2013, Outside These City Walls won the inaugural Non-Digital Freeplay Award. The game is available for free as print-and-play.

Amy-Bax and Zeke are jewel thieves fleeing to safety beyond the city walls, out of the reach of the Council Guard.

Amy-Bax loves Zeke, but Zeke intends to ask for the hand of Malissa, the Silk Lord’s only daughter.

The simple silver ring they have stolen is worth a third of the Council’s Treasury, and should Malissa accept his proposal, Zeke will quickly surpass his status as a street-bound nightrunner and become one of the most influential men in Wheatfield.

Unbeknownst to the other, each thief secretly performs minor a ritual as they flee: Amy-Bax steals rings from the lost and sleeping to power a sea-witch’s love cantrip, while Zeke drops coins on street corners, an old nightrunner tradition said to help a close friend overcome the troubles of their past.

Artist: Mark Smith