Deckhand's Due
$5
A small mark, but every ledger starts somewhere. Your name is entered into the ship's crew roster on the site, a quiet line among the many who kept her afloat.
Your name is entered into the ship's crew roster.
The crew’s ledger
Marked in the Ledger
Every captain keeps a ledger. Debts owed, debts paid, names that matter enough to write down and names better left forgotten.
Widow's Debt is written one chapter at a time, but it's not written alone. It's built the same way a ship is built, plank by plank, hand by hand, by people willing to put something into it before they know exactly what it'll become.
If the story's found its way into you, there's a place for you in it.
Mark your name in the ledger, and it'll live on somewhere in the world of Widow's Debt, a tavern along the coast, a city on the map, a name spoken in passing by a crew who never knew you but carries you all the same. Some debts are owed. This one's a gift.
Or simply give what you can to keep the ship sailing. Every chapter, every illustration, every voice that reads these pages aloud costs something to bring to life, and every contribution goes straight back into telling this story right.
However you choose to give, know this: nothing here goes unmarked. The ledger remembers.
Marked in the Log
$15
Your name appears in the site's dedicated supporters' log, a page of its own, visible to every reader who scrolls far enough to find it. Not hidden. Not forgotten.
Your name appears in the site's dedicated supporters' log.
Name a Tavern
$40
Somewhere along the coast of Widow's Debt, a tavern will carry a name of your choosing. It'll pour drinks for characters who'll never know you, but the sign above the door will.
A tavern in Widow's Debt will carry a name of your choosing.
Name a City or Port
$100
A city or port along Lou's route takes your name, or one you choose. Ships will dock there. Trouble will find its way there. It becomes part of the map, permanently.
A city or port along Lou's route takes your chosen name permanently.
Mark a Minor Character
$250
A minor character in an upcoming chapter is named after you or someone you choose, brief but real, a face in a tavern, a voice in a crowd, a name spoken once and remembered.
A minor character in an upcoming chapter is named after you or someone you choose.
Set your own course
Captain's Reckoning
For those who simply want to give what they can, no tier required. Every bit goes back into the story, the art, the voices that bring each chapter to life. No name required either, unless you want one.
How the Ledger Works
When your name is entered.
Tavern names, city names, and minor character mentions are worked into upcoming chapters as they're written, not the story already published. Depending on where the plot stands when you give, that could be the very next chapter or a few chapters down the road, wherever it fits naturally rather than being forced in.
No set turnaround.
Widow's Debt is written the way any real voyage runs, at its own pace, shaped by where the story needs to go. Names are added in the order they're received, but a name might surface in the next installment or a few weeks out. You'll always be notified when your mark appears in a published chapter.
Where it appears.
Crew roster and supporter log entries go live on the site shortly after your contribution. Tavern, city, and character mentions appear only once the relevant chapter is written and published, not before.
How it's used.
Every contribution goes back into the story, illustrations, audio, hosting, the work of getting each chapter into the world.
How your mark is carried forward
A place in the ledger
Supporters are recognized in the crew roster and supporter log.
A name in the tale
Naming-tier supporters may see their chosen name appear in a future chapter.
A raven when it happens
When your mark appears, a raven will be sent to let you know.
Contributions are one-time payments in US dollars. Naming details are coordinated after your contribution is complete.