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Question slanted toward Monte Cook who created the Numenera universe - am I wrong in detecting influence from Gene Wolfe's amazing Shadow of the Torturer series?

Hi guys, I'm an old Looking Glass UU/SS superfan and really interested in this under-developed genre space. I have two independent questions concerning the design choices you face in this new title.

My first question is about leveling and skill progression; what mechanics do you intend to use? Are you going to borrow a boilerplate XP-reward system, an improve-through-use system like Elder Scrolls titles, or do you intend to approach the question of improvement/levelling in a more unique and innovative way? (I will say that I think ES improve-through-(successful)-use is inherently flawed; skills are learned by failing, not by succeeding).

My second question is about darkness. Since your entire game is set underground it seems reasonable to assume that there will be large, unlit regions. What sort of gameplay challenge/feature does darkness versus light pose in Underworld Ascendant? Let's say you run out of light sources, will this entail a desperate scramble to get back into a lit region at all costs, or will it merely result in a marginal decrease in ambient light level (DS2 I'm looking at you).

Thanks in advance. I'll be sure to be watching this KS very closely!

How much damage do you think individuals like Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas do to the notion of the Supreme Court being a supposedly impartial judicial body?

Can you say a little more on the topic of customization and choice in Sunless Sea? What is the range of possible game experiences to be had, and what degree of replayability do you anticipate?

How hard is it to get a night's sleep? Isn't it hot as hell, and aren't wild animals making noises all over the place?