Arkain News Network

[Shar Dundred]

15th September 2020
Ladies and gentlemen,
today we will take another closer look at one of the Imperial Regiments. You know & love them since
the Second Orc Book but do you REALLY know them? No, because I have not really given them
the treatment they deserve! Until now!
Today I give you the second entry of the Imperial Regiments - the Bull Regiment!
Why I am doing this? Am I just giving you some lore for an AI faction? Will they have a bigger
role to play in the True Story - or in the future after that? Who knows!

The Bull Regiment

"Provoke the Bull at your own peril."
The Bull Regiment is one of those curious relics that should have been retired long ago but still retains service.
Despite fielding soldiers wearing modern plate armor, the Bull Regiment is still also making use of rather ancient armor
and weapons that would be more at home in museums and ancient arenas. Still, the Bull Regiment continues to use both
with surprising efficiency. Then again, one should never underestimate a soldier at the peak of human ability.
The soldiers of the Bull Regiment has proven time and again that their brute force alone is more than enough to further
the goals of the Empire - though who would openly speak out against someone strong enough to crush a skull with bare hands?
Unlike the Wolf Regiment with its werewolves, the Dragon Regiment with its beasts, the Falcon Regiment with its tamed
animals or the Phoenix Regiment with its summoned creatures, the Bull Regiment relies solely on pure human force alone.
While some believe that they use spells or magic potions to increase their strength beyond what a human is normally capable
of, the soldiers of the Bull Regiment speak only of hard, daily training and workouts. It matters little where their strength comes
from, the brute force of this regiment cannot be denied.
It is said that when the Bull Regiment was first deployed to deal with rebelling lords within the Empire, who first laughed at the
sight of such barbaric-looking warriors but as soon as they had started killing rebel soldiers with a brutality that made being captured
and tortured alive look like a relief in comparison, they stopped laughing. It should be mentioned that the Bull Regiment treated
its prisoners hardly any better than any enemies they met on the open field. The Bull Regiment was not about taking captives, it was
about being unleashed to destroy anything that stood in its way, leaving nothing behind to be rebuilt.
While many of them still wear their traditional armors, the best among them wear an armor so heavy that regular soldiers would not
be able to wear it. Even if an enemy was able to resist the first wave of lightly armored, savage warriors, the second wave consisting
of the heavily-armored elite of the Bull Regiment would be their doom.
The current leader of the Bull Regiment, the veteran General Dorbric, is said to be as strong as ten men, his axe having cut large
Demons in half with but a single strike. Like his warriors, he prefers to charge right into trouble and break through anything in his
way, leaving the more complex strategies to other regiments and generals. Still, labelling him as little more than a simple-minded
buffoon would be a grave mistake. One should not give the Bull a reason to start a stampede while standing in front of him.

 

[Shar Dundred]

21st September 2020
Ladies and gentlemen,
today we will take another closer look at not one but three of the Imperial Regiments.
You know & love them since the Second Orc Book but do you REALLY know them?
No, because I have not really given them the treatment they deserve! Until now!
Today I give you the final three entries of the Imperial Regiments - the Dragon, Phoenix and
Falcon Regiments!
Why I am doing this? Am I just giving you some lore for an AI faction? Will they have a bigger
role to play in the True Story - or in the future after that? Who knows!
Note: The Imperial Regiments also deploy "ordinary" human forces, but these showcases
serve the purpose of showing what sets them apart.
I had to mention this here because... Well. You will see.

The Dragon Regiment

"Fear the wrath of the Dragon."
According to legend, the founders of the founders of the Dragon Regiment rode on the backs of dragons whose scales
were pure silver and gold. The founders of the Dragon Regiment somehow managed to gain the trust of these powerful
beasts and, similar to the realm of Zyainor (despite not being aware of its existance), they joined forces to create a nation.
Unlike the Black Dragons of Zyainor, however, the proud dragons of Rodan wanted no veneration, they wanted cooperation.
These gold and silver dragons and the Humans of Rodan were said to have fought side by side against their enemies to
create a great realm for the most advanced and civilized races - themselves. However, over the centuries, for reasons
unknown, the proud races of these silver and golden dragons declined. One by one, they died out, leaving nothing but
memories to be mourned - and the Dragon Regiment.
It is unclear how much of this legend is actually true. It is true that there once were dragons on the continent of Rodan,
but whether or not they were actually allies of the Imperials that even worked with them or not is debatable. In fact, only
the soldiers of the Dragon Regiment seem to think that the dragons were once their allies - or pets, depending on who was
asked, the opinions regarding the exact details of their relationship are being discussed even inside the Dragon Regiment itself.
Regarding the decline of these dragons, scholars agree that the dragons probably were unable to sustain their breeding grounds
in the growing civilisation of the Empire - and if the dragons' scales were made out of silver and gold, as the legend claims, then
it would come to little surprise that they may also have been hunted down for these valuable metals. The truth of the myth may
only be found in the archives of the Dragon Regiment - but they would not let anyone, not even most of their own, enter these places.
Either way, the Dragon Regiment has made desperate attempts to once again have dragons at their disposal - though not as "ally"
but as a weapon to be unleashed. Many leaders of the regiment have tried to find a replacement over many centuries - with some
sort of success, to their credit, though it is hard to actually call most of their beasts "dragons". First, the Dragon Regiment had tamed
some lizards by stealing eggs and raising them like any other domesticated animal.
On the coastlines of Rodan and on small islands surrounding the continent, they found sea drakes - though belonging to the "dragon family",
they were more ferocious and bloodthirsty than the dragons of the then-unknown continent of Arkain. These wild beings were forced into
submission and tamed - and then, along with the lizards, used for magic experiments in an attempt to create new "dragons".
While the creatures of the Dragon Regiment are by no means dragons (with the exception of the ferocious sea drakes maybe), it cannot
be denied that these creatures are extremely powerful - and woe falls upon those who stand in their way.
The proud and somewhat imperious General Ramerius is the current leader of the Dragon Regiment. Like all human members of the Dragon
Regiment, he serves the Empire and Emperor with pride and has a high opinion of the abilities of his regiment.


The Phoenix Regiment

"The Phoenix leaves nothing but ashes."
While there are no "legends" about the past of the Phoenix Regiment, its natural choice of summoned creatures or how
they had originally mastered the summoning of phoenixes to a point that had allowed them to call upon entire swarms of
the creatures, the regiment has had an interesting tale of rise and fall in the Imperial history books.
Many times, it had been said that the Phoenix Regiment had completely fallen in battle and was done for after having been
sent into a battle they had no chance of winning. But then they would rise again and again - just like a phoenix from the ashes.
Some whisper that the archmagi of the Phoenix Regiment had found a special method that would allow them to actually rise
from the ashes after their death - like the phoenixes they summoned. If this was true, the Phoenix Regiment would not share
this secret with anyone else, discarding it as nonsense and insisting that their skills - and, as they are willing to admit,
nothing but sheer luck - is what kept them alive. Yet the rumors stayed.
The phoenixes deployed by the Phoenix Regiment are not actual animals like some believe. They are all summoned creatures made
of the purest essence of fire. Alongside its ordinary military force, the Phoenix Regiment possesses a large number of summoners
who summon the beings far from the frontlines and then send them out to support their soldiers in battle. Interestingly enough,
many of these summoners have never participated in a battle themselves which is a reason why they are kept far away from the
frontlines, serving a similar purpose as engineers or other workers instead. Some are however powerful wizards who accompany
their soldiers into battle - though their number is rather low, mostly due to the unwillingness of the Phoenix Regiment to endanger
its valuable summoners that easily. Their power of their phoenixes, however, is unquestionable.
Silent and mysterious General Kenos is the leader of the Phoenix Regiment and a powerful summoner of phoenixes. He always
wears his mask and is fully clothed, showing not even the slightest bit of his skin. This has of course led to rumors, as it always does.
Most believe the rumor that a demon sorcerer had once trapped a then-unexperienced Kenos inside his own phoenix, slowly burning
him alive. It is said that the pain and agony made Kenos, who was but a recruit summoner back then, accidentally channel too much
magical power into the phoenix.
This overflow of magic energy is said to have caused a massive explosion, killing the demon sorcerer and his henchmen - but also several
members of the Phoenix Regiment and only further burning Kenos alive - it was a miracle that he was still alive. From that day on, he
was never seen without being fully clothed - or without his mask.
Since Kenos never comments on this (or speaks little in general), it is unclear whether or not this is true. Some rumors that could only be
heard in the fewest backrooms claim that Kenos is in fact the original founder of the Phoenix Regiment. As it was believed that the regiment
had mastered a method that allowed them to rise from the dead like a phoenix from the ashes, some even went so far to claim that the
current leader of the regiment was the very same one who founded it.

The Falcon Regiment

"You cannot hide from the eyes of the Falcon."
Many centuries ago, there had once been an Emperor who had grown weary of his responsibilities as ruler of an entire
continent, having to deal with wars, rebellions, politics, economy and other things that he did not care about the
slighest bit. He had never wanted his crown, he was born into a family that just happened to be in charge of the
Empire - and what kind of son would just have thrown that away? As soon as he had an heir who was young, but
old enough to take his place, he made his choice.
Abstaining all claims to the throne and making this young son emperor in his stead, he left the court - despite heavy
protests from advisors, family and nobles alike. He left for the wilderness, leaving everything behind him. However,
after a few years, some were quite unhappy with their new ruler - and they also saw this as an opportunity:
The former Emperor was out in the wilderness - unprotected, unguarded and alone. If they got a hold of him and put
him back in charge, they could control him - or if he refused to be put back in charge, they could control his son and
current emperor to do their bidding instead. So they sent several headhunters to get the Emperor back - putting a
VERY large bounty on his head.
The hunters searched the wilderness but they could not find the former emperor. He was able to avoid them, he had
tamed the birds of the forest to warn him of any intruders so that he could avoid them. Several weeks passed and some
of the hunters, realizing how their target kept avoiding them, started to hunt the birds. This was of course unacceptable,
and so the former emperor decided to show himself - after having called upon a number of more... dangerous animals.
He confronted the hunters on a clearing. As soon as he had shown himself, his animals surrounded the hunters. He demanded
that they stopped killing his animals and returned to whence they came. To his surprise, they did not try to fight or run.
They threw their weapons on the ground and knelt before him, declaring that they had never had any interest to kill him. Instead,
they had only wished to protect him - their one and only true emperor - from the intrigant courtists who were seeking his downfall.
He explained that he was no longer their emperor - but that he had spent too much time too far from court. Together with his
animal pets and his former hunters, he returned to the court, where the group of intrigant and powerhungry nobles that had wanted
to kill him, had already taken control. They were put in prison and later executed for their treason - presumably killed by the very
animals that had protected and been fed by the man they wanted to kill. While he did not retake his throne and left his son in charge,
the former emperor decided to form an army to protect his son - his first recruits were the headhunters. The Falcon Regiment was born.
Skilled hunters and animal tamers, the Falcon Regiment consists of many skilled falconers that summon the favored animals of the
regiment to their aid. They are said to share a mythical connection with their falcons, being able to see whatever they saw.
While maybe not seeming as impressive as the other regiments, the Falcon Regiment has proven its strength many times - and one
should never underestimate an animal that protects its master. Or the other way around.
General Aveen, the current leader of the Falcon Regiment, is rumoned to be a distant relative of the Emperor - maybe even an heir
of the original founder of the regiment. While she is a capable leader and beloved by her soldiers, she seems to prefer keeping her
distance to the other generals and people that are no part of her regiment in general. The ones who believe that she may be
related to the Emperor believe this to be the reason. Others think that she simply prefers her animals over her fellow humans.

 

[Shar Dundred]

22nd September 2020
Today I am bringing you two different kind of news. So without further ado, let's start!
No long intro this time!

First of, given the fact that the Second Books have all (finally) been finished for a while now,
with the Second Undead Book having been out for almost a month now, I have decided that
it was time for another Arkain Question Time!

What is an Arkain Question Time? Mortals asking Aridon about their future?
Arkain Question Time (short AQT) is like an "FAQ) of Arkain. It is an event where people send
me Arkain-related questions via conversation. I collect these questions and then release them in a single
great post. As you can see in this thread, the questions also involve spoilers - and also some
funny/less serious questions (and answers). All these questions are welcome and I will include
as many as possible.
I will accept questions from today until 4th October 2020. I intend to post the questions and
their answers on the 5th or 6th October.
Feel free to send right away!

Second: I am presenting you something I have already teasered in the past weeks:
The Imperial Regiments mechanic!

"I don't like wolves. They're course, rough and irritating. And they get everywhere." - Blen Greymoore

You remember the Leadership Boni? Yeah, that was a neat race mechanic. The race mechanics of the Orcs
was broken by bugs and the Second Undead Book did not really get that. The First Books lack them completely!
Now, with the True Story of Arkain, it is about time that we fixed some of these issues, right? Right!
The Imperial Regiments I have introduced to you in the last few newsposts will be added with not only their name
but also their unique units! You will be able to replace your "ordinary" units with these specialized forces to experience
new ways to play the chapters. You want to overrun the enemy with pure melee power? Let's call the Bull Regiment!
You want to release the hounds? The Wolf Regiment is just what you are looking for! You want to unleash some nasty
beasts? Let's get the Dragon Regiment to serve your destructive desires!
In addition, the new generals will also join the events of the books (to both Blen's and Zoia's dismay, they will have to
spend some time with each other). This also serves to increase the number of named Imperial generals as their number
has been quite limited before - especially after the events of the First Books. That's not to say that they are all going to
survive these events however...
Quick side note: The grey Greymoore will actually receive more of a backstory and characteristics in the True Story.
No, don't worry, I will not change his character just to make him more interesting, I am just giving him some final touches
before... well, you know.

Anyway, that's it for today. Feel free to send me questions for the Arkain Question Time - and stay tuned for more news on
the True Story of Arkain! A demo is in development!

 

[Shar Dundred]

26th September 2020
As some of you have probably already noticed, I have reorganized the Faction Sheet and the
Tales of Arkain threads to make them easier to navigate.
I will make further adjustments when more factions/stories are added. The same goes for the
Character Sheet.
Currently it would not make much sense to differentiate between Empire and Kingdoms or
seperating Elves and Dwarves from Humans due to the low count of entries on the current list.

I have also added the Wolf, Bull, Dragon, Phoenix and Falcon Regiments to the Faction Sheet.
In addition, the Generals Aveen, Dorbric, Kenos, Ramerius and Zoia to the Character Sheet.
I have also slightly extended some of their backgrounds beyond what I have shown you
in the newsthread - check them out!

I am still collecting questions for the Arkain Question Time. We are currently at about 80 questions.
Can we reach the one hundred or possibly even more? It is completely up to you!
Send me as many questions as you want via conversation - I can take it & in fact want it!

Maybe the release of the AQT will accidentally coincide with the release of the first demo of the
True Story of Arkain, who knows...?

Stay tuned!

 

[Shar Dundred]

27th September 2020
Alright, the questions for the AQT are still coming in and I am impressed - we are at over 100 now! Wow!
And it has only been five days! I can't imagine how much more will come up!
I am really happy & amazed to see your participation.
Remember that you can still send in more questions until the 4th October 2020 (including the 4th)!
I wonder if we can get to 130 next, that would be more questions than we ever had before in an AQT.
Either way, it fills me with joy to see how many people are interested in Arkain - and I thank everyone
who is helping the AQT by sending questions. Without these questions, without your participation, the
Arkain Question Time would not be possible.

As a little "teaser" and to thank for the already high participation, I have decided to give you a little
insight into what is planned for the Orcs for the True Story of Arkain!
Originally, I wanted to give them a similar mechanic as the Humans - then I considered a character-based
Leadership Boni mechanic instead. However, I came to the conclusion that uniting the different orc clans
in the First Orc Book was used as an important story arc. So why should I not include it?

Let me present you:
The Island Clans mechanic!

"I dread to think what were to happen if the savages stopped killing each other." - Unknown Pyrrean noble

From a gameplay perspective it functions just the same as the Imperial Regiments mechanic, replacing
your units with these specialized forces! You want to go all in with cavalry power? Let Rath summon
his Darkmind Clan riders! You want to wear shiny armor and have access to shady contracts to improve
your economy, not caring where the gold came from? Let's get the Goldaxe Clan! You just want to crack
some skulls? The Bloodhand Clan has you covered! You desperately miss the Dragon Lancers from the
demo of the First Orc Book? Skullblade Clan it is!

You want to see all clans in their new shiny look? Check the spoiler below!

Stay tuned for future updates while I continue to tinker on the first demo for the True Story of Arkain!

Spoiler

The Deathbreeze Clan

With the Orcs having arrived on the shores of Arkain on ships, them living on islands and
them being pillagers by nature, it comes to no surprise that many of them have become pirates.
Still, no other clan has become as famous by raiding as the Deathbreeze Clan.
When the Orcs first arrived and launched their first invasion of Arkain, the Deathbreeze Clan had
not even existed yet. The clan was founded after the invasion was put to an end by the races of Arkain.
This makes the Deathbreeze Clan one of the few clans that had been founded on Arkain - another one
being the Cliffhunter Clan - rather than already having existed before.
While the Elves have a hard time telling the difference between the different Orc clans and most of the
human nations not caring to know, the Kingdoms of Pyrru and Toran quickly had to learn a harsh lesson:
When the Goldaxe Clan attacked, you could give them gold and they'd leave. The Darkmind Clan would
launch a proper charge into the heartlands of your realms, allowing you to fight them on the open field.
But when the Deathbreeze Clan attacked, you were in for a guerilla strike. The Deathbreeze Clan mostly
focused on raiding villages and castles along the coastline while also being a threat to any unprepared fleet.
They were quick to strike and just as quick to return to their ships to leave.
Mobilizing an army on land against their ordinary raids was pretty much a waste of time.
In order to stop their raids, the Humans had to face them on sea - and going into a sea battle against the
rising might of the Deathbreeze Clan and its dangerous ships without proper preparations was just asking for trouble.

The Darkmind Clan

Ever since the days of the first arrival of the Orcs, the Darkmind Clan had always been one
of the most numerous. Great in number and naturally gifted with the skill to fight on the
backs of animals, its warriors were born to be raiders and riders, riding the animals they
had brought with them from their old home and the ones they found and tamed on Arkain.
The warriors of the Darkmind Clan were the first to land on the shores of Arkain, charging
into the lines of the pirate barons on back of their wolves. Later, they would also tame and
ride on the horses used by the humans of Arkain. However, when they, along with the other
clans, left the island baronies and landed on the shores of Arkain, they suffered a severe defeat
at the hands of an army of Salrian Elite Pikemen who had arrived from the south, not being used
to fighting against spearwalls previously.
This taught the clan the lesson that brute strength, even when on back of a wolf or horse, was not
enough. Therefore they began to deploy more infantry forces and warlocks as the war continued - and
continued to do so long after the invasion had failed. Still, the Darkmind Clan remained consistent in
relying heavily on its experienced riders.
Like the Bloodhand Clan, the warriors of the Darkmind Clan prefer an open battle against their enemies.
Due to them prefering to fight on the backs of their mounts, they are not too fond of fighting on the sea
or the coastlines.

The Goldaxe Clan

In comparison to other Orc clans, the Goldaxe Clan could almost be called the clan that is
the least unfriendly towards non-orcs.
Despite xenophobia being common among Orcs, most members of the Goldaxe Clan do not
appear to outright "hate" other races. Often, rather than simply raiding a village, they'd demand
tribute and, if satisfied with that tribute, leave the village alone to return at some later point for more.
The Goldaxe Clan cares for one thing more than any other: Gold. Wealth is an important aspect
in their clan society. The chieftain of their clan is not the strongest warrior or the most powerful
wizard but rather the one who was smart enough to obtain the greatest wealth.
There's some claims that the Goldaxe Clan would even let itself be outright bought by Humans to
fight against their human rivals - or against other Orc clans. While these claims cannot be proven,
they DID let themselves be hired for gold by other clans to fight by their side.
They are considered something like mercenaries by other clans. While they only care about gold,
many of their warriors also considered themselves proud and honorable warriors. Dogran, the right
hand of the chieftain, is one of them.
Being the wealthiest of the clans, the equipment of the Goldaxe Clan tends to be the most expensive
and highest quality, making them all the more dangerous in battle. However, their weapons also tend
to be used less.

The Ironthunder Clan

The Ironthunder Clan is very shamanistic and it is said that they even feel connected to nature.
At least that is what other clans believe, the Ironthunder Clan remains rather secretive when it
comes to their focus on shamanism, keeping such things to themselves.
They are however by no means peaceful caretakers of nature. They respect nature like a wolfrider
respects his mount - and use it similarly. The Ironthunder Clan has always prefered cooperation over
confrontation and is therefore willing to work together with other clans to fight against common foes
or reach common goals.
At the same time, many members of the clan are highly independent, unwilling to bend the knee.
The clan has only once bent the knee - and that was when the Orcs first arrived on Arkain.

The Bloodhand Clan

When human parents and grandparents tell their children scary tales of green monsters that
come for them if they are behaving badly, they often refer to the brutish Bloodhand Clan.
While the clan does not care at all about how Humans behave, it really does look back on a
proud history bringing fear into the hearts of their enemies.
Brutal and bloodthirsty, the numerous warriors of the Bloodhand Clan prefer simply charging at
their enemy and utterly destroying them rather than relying on tactics, strategy or magic.
They are not without cunning, however, and will not hesitate to use any tool that is at their disposal.
Still, strength is the most important attribute to the Bloodhand Clan members. They would often
leave the Orc Islands to travel deep into the lands of the Humans, setting up their camps to raid
surrounding villages. Legends claim that they even had set up one of their camps on the border
to the land of the Demons prior to the creation of the Void.
The arrival of the Empire however put an end to many camps, destroying them easily while pushing
back the Demons, the Bloodhand Clan was little more than a group of insects to them.
Still, the Bloodhand Clan holds much power both on the Orc Islands and in the Kingdoms.
They were quick to retake their lost camps after the First Voidwar.

The Ravaging Fire Clan

While the Ironthunder Clan is completely shamanistic, the Ravaging Fire Clan embraces the dark
arts of necromancy and sorcery. Many great warlocks and necrolytes of the Orc race are said
to originally hail from this clan.
Some Humans even think that the clan is using demonology and actually consists of secret slaves
of the Demons. This is of course far from the truth, the Ravaging Fire Clan has never bothered
to try demonology and they, like all Orcs, are by no means willing to ally themselves with the Demons.
If it wasn't for the former hermit Zairmak however, the Ravaging Fire Clan would have ceased to exist
a few decades ago. Despite its power, the clan had been waning. Poor leadership, internal struggles and
wars against other clans had taken their toll. The clan had even begun to forsake their ancient mastery
of magic in favor of training more warriors.
Zairmak established his power and became chieftain, removing the Ravaging Fire Clan from all conflicts
with other clans and staying out of future conflicts, preparing for the future war that Zairmak expected
to come sooner or later.

The Skullblade Clan

The warriors of the Skullblade Clan boast that, unlike the other Orcs, their ancestors
came to Arkain on flying beasts rather than than sailing on ships. While it is true that
the clan is in control of many flying beasts, it is unlikely that they really travelled on the
backs of these beasts all the way from the original home of the Orcs to Arkain.
Still, since the Orcs have no historical records and do not even know where they came from,
the Skullblade Clan stays to this version of the story. Many believe that the Skullblade Clan did
not even have any beasts when arriving on the future Orc Islands but instead found and tamed
the beasts there.
Either way, there is one thing that all Orcs can agree on:
While the clan also has strong ground forces, thirsting for battle, the aerial might of the Skullblade
is not to be underestimated.

 

[Shar Dundred]

5th October 2020
Alright, the time to send me questions for the Arkain Question Time is over and we have collected
over 200 questions for it - not counting the questions I have been sent multiple times!
I am still amazed at this high level of participation and want to thank everyone who sent me
their questions.
I will release the complete list of questions and answers tomorrow (about 25-26 hours from now).
I intend to release the demo at the same time as the AQT is being released.

Stay tuned, we've almost opened the first door to reveal the True Story of Arkain!

 

[Shar Dundred]

6th October 2020
After some time of consideration, I have decided that I give you you all a little "early taste"
of what I told you to prepare for yesterday.
The Arkain Question Time has been released! You can find it here!
BUT, because I want to keep you waiting to highten your hype level, I will stick with what I
said about the release of the first demo, it will be another 10-11 hours until that gets released.
Yes, I am that cruel.

Stay tuned!

 

[Shar Dundred]

6th October 2020
"TWO newsposts in ONE day? What is this, anarchy?!"
Almost, Gary the fictional user who does not exist, almost. Now back into your box!

Ladies and gentlemen,

it brings me great joy to announce the release of the first demo of the True Story of Arkain!
You can find it in Downloads, I am also leaving a direct download link here.
It brings you the first four reworked chapters.
I intend to update the demo later this week and add:
- the completely new prologue
- further edited versions of Chapters Three and Four
- Chapter Five with the legendary "Clash in the Forest"
- bugfixes
- and more!

I originally wanted wait for these things to be completed first before releasing the demo but
I think that I have kept you waiting for this long enough.
Enjoy your return to murder and bloodbath! It's been about damn time after all!

 

[Shar Dundred]

11th October 2020
Today I am releasing Chapter Five: Clash in the Forest, the first Arkain mission that has been
released on the Hiveworkshop over six years ago, for the True Story of Arkain in its new,
evolved form.
In addition, the other chapters (especially Chapter Four) have been updated, you can see
details in the changelog & I highly recommend giving Chapter Four another try (and the other
ones too for reasons I will mention now).
You can find the new demo here in Downloads.

As written in the last newspost, I also wanted to include the Prologue here. I did not do that yet.
Instead, I have added a little experiment of mine: The "Viewpoint Lore" mechanic.
Originally I intended to add the forum sheets and other entries over the course of the chapters,
then I had the idea of trying it by telling the lore from different viewpoints - meaning that it is
of course not always cold facts but biased instead and can even develop as time progresses.
I am very interested in your thoughts about this mechanic as it is highly experimental and I am
not sure if I will keep it, change it or even remove it.
I am looking forward to you sharing your thoughts both about this new mechanic & the other changes
in the New Content Discussion [SPOILER] thread!

Version 0.02

General:
- Renamed Altar of Kings into Altar of Emperors
- Added the experimental "Viewpoint Lore" mechanic
- Added more sounds

Chapter One:
- Removed the Spell Immunity of the Mayor
- Removed the Sobi Mask drop from the Mayor
- Stopped the cathedral from levitating

Chapter Two:
- Minor Epilogue dialogue adjustment
- Added the Ensnare ability to Amari
- Fixed the AI of the Imperial Army
- Amari now starts with a Pendant of Energy

Chapter Three:
- Replaced the Spider Ring with Slippers of Agility
- Removed the requirements for Shieldguards
- Fixed the dialogue of Haran'tel'kazor triggering at the wrong time and the dialogue of the Icewind Clan chieftain not triggering at all
- Removed the Power of Death ability from Krom
- Added the Power of Death ability to Aridon

Chapter Four:
- Fixed the tooltip for Largoth's Dreadclaws
- Bravery now deals Chaos damage & uses a new model
- Adjusted the Wrath dialogue
- Added a waygate to Wrath's position to avoid backtracking
- Added new dialogues
- Told Largoth to stop floating around

Stay tuned for future updates!

 

[Shar Dundred]

15th October 2020
Today is a day I am sure many of you have been waiting for - no, I am not talking about the
release of even more new maps. At least not yet. No, ladies and gentlemen, today instead
we will be taking a look at the first of the Nexus of Old and New - which I am sure some
of you are already familiar with after having read the short story of the same name.
Some of you may also have seen the images that have secretly snuck their way into the
True Story of Arkain album earlier today. There you will find a total of nine entries (yes, nine,
more than you were recently aware of).
For those of you who don't know: The nexus were formed by Aridon to divide his unliving
forces into several factions and organisations, allowing them to form their own personalities,
behaviours and preferences. Those nexus were still bound to his will but at the same time free
to develop their own quirks, directives and ideologies.
As a little "behind the scenes": I think the inclusion of these "nexus" also allows to have the
Undead be more than just the mindless servants of Aridon and give them more personality
without making them "renegades with free will".

Today, I will present to you the first three: The Ejara Nexus, the Zirr Nexus and the Rohir Nexus!
The next six will follow in the next posts. And, of course, if you want to take a short sneak peak
at them, just click at the link I provided earlier.
Once I have published all nexus in newsposts, I will of course also add them to the Faction Sheet.

The Ejara Nexus

"Whether in life or death, all beings of Arkain are destined to serve our master in the end.
We are the enforcers of his will, the harbingers of his rule. The Living will serve or die.
There can be no freedom or alliance, only the master, the servants and the slaves."

When the Ejara Nexus came to (un)life, it was the smallest in number in comparison to the
other nexus. However, it had strong warriors and magic at its disposal - and both were
immediatly put to good use. The enforcers of the Ejara Nexus entered the caves of the
Dead Mountain and waged war against the Nerbuians, intelligent creatures that had evolved
out of the spiders inhabiting the place. The Nerubians were numerous, but the Ejara Nexus
used brute force to slay them - and dark magic to raise them. The mere sight of this caused
many nerubians to surrender after each battle as the Ejara Nexus had decided to keep
them - temporarily at first, to decide what to do with them. It did not take long for them
to realize that living Nerubians were much more useful than their dead. The war was
soon decided, the Nerubians were either dead or captured by the powerful Ejara warriors
and the spider creatures had lost much more than their lives: Their freedom.
The Ejara turned the creatures into their cattle: The living laid eggs, the Ejara Nexus took
the eggs out of the cages and let the dead Nerubians hatch them. The Ejara Nexus were
now the ones in charge of the Nerubian breeding grounds - and the ones who built them
in the first place. The Nerubians became the slaves and the Ejara the masters, protecting
their breeding grounds from outside harm.
The Ejara Nexus was now far from being the smallest in number, its numbers rising like an
insect swarm.
It is their solemn belief that all creatures exist only to serve the will of the Watcher - and
they prefer taking a rather "direct" interpretation of this doctrine. They believe that the living
shall either live to serve - or die. The Nerubians have been the first to be put under the rule
of the Ejara - but they will not be the last.
Their directive to keep living alive to breed more brings them at odds with the Scarec Nexus,
who believe that all flesh - and life - must be extinguished and the Rohir Nexus who prefer
more secretive methods. They share interests with the Ardoz Nexus, however, who are highly
interested in purchasing some of the living "cattle" for themselves.

The Zirr Nexus

"Knowledge and power are one and the same. Mastery of knowledge and magic is what makes
us worthy in the eyes of the Watcher. Our knowledge is not for the mortals or immortals of
this world to be seen, it serves one purpose only: To aid us in our eternal service."

The Zirr Nexus' original goal was to simply gather all knowledge in the world. The race of
the Rasi, which laid the foundation of this nexus, was created for the sole purpose of
recording all history and knowledge wherever they could find it in the world of the mortals
and immortals alike.
The Rasi wandered the world, using their special powers to remain hidden from the eyes of
the living, writing down any knowledge they could find to be sent back to the Dead Mountain,
to be studied by the other members of the nexus, recorded and kept safe to be accessible by
nobody but the Watcher of Arkain.
As time progressed, the amount of knowledge grew immensely and, as arcane knowledge
was collected as well as the most mundane of secrets, the Zirr Nexus began to not simply
gather informations but to also put their immense arcane knowledge to good use.
Not only did they wish to serve the Watcher and put their powers at his disposal, they also
wanted to be prepared. For, if any living ever managed to get only a glimpse of their
knowledge, they'd be obsessed with getting more - more than their simple and greedy minds
were ready or even made for. Such was to be prevented at all costs.
The Zirr Nexus may not be the most numerous nexus, but the power of their sheer endless
arcane potential and their best kept secrets should never be underestimated. Some knowledge
should be left to be forgotten in their archives.
The promise of this knowledge may turn even the most arrogant demon into a husk of his
former self, willing to do anything to get only a glimpse of it. However, no doors are opened,
no archives glimpsed upon and no promises made. The Zirr Nexus has enough arcane power
to pulverize any foolish enough to dare step a foot into their halls uninvited.

The Rohir Nexus

"The Living must see the folly of their ways. Only the master can grant vision. The Living
will serve the master, whether they like it or not. We will infiltrate their ranks to make sure
that they do what they are meant to do. If they resist, we will use our less subtle abilties instead."

The Rohir Nexus originally consisted of nothing but spritis, possessing the bodies of dead,
sometimes even bodies that once belonged to these spirits - to feel flesh once more.
Possessed bodies not only did not decay as quickly as they should, the members of the
nexus were even able to disguise themselves to make these bodies seem just as alive as
they had once been.
This allowed the Rohir Nexus to infiltrate the ranks of the living and do their master's bidding
as well as following the goals they called their own: The Living were fools to them, blinded
by their greed, their lust for power, their desire to make their own decisions rather than
submit to the vision and will of the Watcher of Arkain. They infiltrated the ranks of the living
ever since they were "born", using their appearance to wander among mortals to "turn them"
to join them.
In order to do so, the Rohir Nexus did whatever was required. If their persuasive skills weren't
enough, brute force would do. The eyes of the Rohir Nexus are everywhere, looking for both
recruits and all kinds of information. While the members of the Zirr Nexus collected knowledge
and lore of old, the members of the Rohir Nexus brought the most recent information and
whatever else their spymanship caught a hold of in the name of their eternal master.
The numbers of the Rohir are evergrowing for even among the living there are those that
dream of a better future - a future promised to them by those who have no life as well as
those who have not embraced the kiss of death yet.
If the mortals ever learned the true extend of the Rohir Nexus behind the unliving corpses
they fought on the open field, there was no telling how much paranoia would spread among
their ranks, knowing that any they consider their close friends, could secretly be a spy of
the unliving...
The idelogies of the Rohir Nexus clash with those of the Scarec Nexus who despise all kinds
of "flesh", the Ardoz Nexus who prefer to torture the living rather than "turn" them and the
Ejara Nexus who sought to enslave all life instead.

 

[Shar Dundred]

17th October 2020
Ladies and gentlemen, today we will be taking another look at the first of the Nexus of Old
and New - which I am sure some of you are already familiar with after having read the short
story of the same name.
For those of you who don't know: The nexus were formed by Aridon to divide his unliving
forces into several factions and organisations, allowing them to form their own personalities,
behaviours and preferences. Those nexus were still bound to his will but at the same time free
to develop their own quirks, directives and ideologies.

Today, I will present to you the next three: The Splecir Nexus, the Ardoz Nexus and the Scarec Nexus!
The last three will follow in the next post.
Once I have published all nexus in newsposts, I will of course also add them to the Faction Sheet.

The Splecir Nexus

"..."

While all nexus embraced different personalities, the Splecir Nexus has never changed,
never ever straying from its path to become anything else but the loyal servants of
the Watcher, despite having gained some form of "independence". They simply used
this new found freedom to choose to stay the way they had been before. They remained
the loyal servants of the Watcher, developing no doctrines or quirks to set them apart,
only serving his direct will.
However, underestimating them due to this "lack of personality" would be a most grave
mistake. The members of the Splecir Nexus are the champions of the Watcher, the
enforcers of his will, the best of the best... And the purest of the pure.
No morality or ideology dictates their progress. Only the voice of the Watcher could
command and guide them. Among them are the most sacred chosen of Aridon, the Ethereals,
such as the powerful Spirit Legionnaires, mortals who willingly sought out the Watcher of Arkain
and even went so far as to give their lives to serve him in death, understanding the truth
behind his words and deeds even if it meant turning against those they loved in life.
It is said that the master of the living dead is interested in bolstering the ranks of the
Splecir Nexus with new devoted members - such a decision is not made lightly however,
as the Watcher of Arkain has high expectations of his personal elite.
The undead of the Splecir Nexus do not fight with zeal or the goal of capturing as many
enemies as possible alive. They fight with ice cold determination and once they have been
unleashed, they do not stand down until they are told to.

The Ardoz Nexus

"Fear. Pain. Torture. Suffering. Agony. A slow, painful death. Cruelty is the key to unlock
the powers of death. The more traumatic the death of a mortal is, the more powerful the
servant when entering the service of our master."

The Ardoz Nexus remained in a relatively dormant state for a long time, unable to really
develop after being given the chance to do so due to lacking a proper course. Only when
they first encountered intelligent life in the form of the Nerubians who had been captured
by the Ejara Nexus, did they begin to actually evolve. They experimented on the captives,
using dark magic and other tools of torment, slowly driving their prisoners insane while
also crippling them.
The pain that they inflicted upon their victims, the Ardoz Nexus believed, made the target
more powerful when raised in undeath - or when the flesh or spirit were used to create
one of their monstrosities or other devices. This also resulted in granting the torturers
of the Ardoz Nexus enormous insight into the physiology of many different species.
A living being may prefer death to being captured by them as the members of the
Ardoz Nexus know how to make ANY living being beg for the sweet release of death.
They are then using this knowledge to put their victims back together - in whatever way
they consider the most effective - which certainly is not always the most visual appealing
most of the time. They are driven by the desire to "improve", to cut and reshape.
The Ardoz Nexus did not only create horrific abominations with their questionable "science",
they also developed effective devices to be deployed both during the torture process and
on the battlefield. These mechanical creations are the most technologically advanced
weapons of the undead, brought to unholy unlife by dark magic and by binding tormented
spirits to the vehicles.
The behaviour of the Ardoz Nexus is considered barbaric by the Rohir Nexus who believe
that the mortals should be put to good use instead of torn apart. They share interests
with the Ejara Nexus who are able to provide "specimen" for any tests and the Scarec
Nexus who have no quarrel with the machines of the Ardoz Nexus and appreciate that one
of the practices of the Ardoz Nexus includes tearing the skin and flesh off of the bodies
they are experimenting on.

The Scarec Nexus

"The flesh is weak. To serve the Watcher of Arkain means to let go of not only the desires
and weaknesses of the mortal mind but to also let go of the filthy flesh. Only bones are pure
and can bring both the living and dead understanding on how to best serve in the afterlife."

The Scarec Nexus was the first nexus to develop its very own, very specific mindset.
It is this mindset that they have remained loyal to up to this day, their religious doctrine
and their solemn belief. For them, flesh in itself is an undesirable plague and must be
disposed of. The mortals whose lives depend on the condition of their flesh are considered
aberrations of whom the entire world must be purged eventually. Undead who refuse to
have their flesh removed and rely on the purity of bone are unable to see the truth behind
these words.
While they are not considered enemies of the zealous believers, they still have the hint of
impurity on them in the eyes of the Scarec Nexus whose members are nothing but bones.
The Skeleton Legion of the Scarec Nexus have no doubt that the day will come when their
time has finally come, the day when they will start their own unholy crusade to rid the
entirety of Arkain of all that is flesh until nothing but bones remains. After all, have the living
themselves not proven their own unworthiness by their actions?
Wars, intrigues, desolations, greed, backstabbing, corruption... Those are all just examples
of their impurity. The Scarec Nexus has no doubt that the world can only be in a perfect
state when the fire of life has been forever extinguished.
If it wasn't for the fact that they knew the master of all undead, Aridon the Watcher,
would not approve of their crusade, the Scarec Nexus would have left hiding to begin its
purge as soon as they had developed their mindset. They wait patiently for the day when
he calls upon them to do what they do best: Liberate the world of living impurity.
In their famed Cathedrals of Bones, they pray for the day to come up to this day.
Unsuprisingly, the Scarec Necus' ideology is at odds with the Ejara Nexus who want to
enslave the living rather than kill them all, the Rohir Nexus who cling to mortal bodies and
use infiltration over zealous force of arms and the new Lenira Nexus simply for it having
living members.
They have shared interests with the Ardoz Nexus due to the latter having quite effective
if painful methods to completely remove the flesh of their victims while also using many
mechanical creations that consist of no flesh. The members of the Scarec Nexus also highly
respect the neutral Splecir Nexus for consisting of the powerful - and, not unimportantly,
fleshless - ethereal servants of the Watcher as well as being above adopting ideologies that
would lead to prolonging the lives of the living.

 

[Shar Dundred]

23th October 2020
Ladies and gentlemen, today we will be taking a final look at the Nexus of Old and New -
which I am sure some of you are already familiar with after having read the short
story of the same name.
For those of you who don't know: The nexus were formed by Aridon to divide his unliving
forces into several factions and organisations, allowing them to form their own personalities,
behaviours and preferences. Those nexus were still bound to his will but at the same time
free to develop their own quirks, directives and ideologies.

Today, I will present to you the final three: The Kezzar Nexus, the Lenira Nexus and the
Daviliad Nexus! I will of course add all entries to the Faction Sheet in the next few days.

Let me present you:
The Nexus of Old and New mechanic!

"The living know nothing of fear. We can show them" - Unknown member of the Arodz Nexus

"But Shar, the Undead have more factions than the Humans and the Orcs!
Are you giving the Undead better treatment and abandoning the others?!"
No, I am not, Gary, and now get back into your box and stay there!

The entries presented to you today will NOT find their way into the "First Book era"
of the True Story of Arkain due to not existing yet during that period.
The Humans and Orcs also have new factions showing up during the "Second Book era",
as I am sure you are all aware if you have played the Second Books (and the Humans
also have Elves and Dwarves as "subfactions").
That is not to say that I am "done" with the existing Second Book factions, of course.
I will also be taking another look at them - once we have reached that point.

Stay tuned for further updates and releases of the next demo version which will hold
some stuff that I am sure you will be quite interested in!

Now, enough of this, let's get to the final nexus entries:

The Kezzar Nexus

"We were betrayed. Left to die. Now we have returned to take revenge on them all.
We were Demons in life, now we are demonic nightmares in death. The mortals shall
not wake up again."

Following the defeat of the Blooddrinker Legion and its leader, Ornasion the Destroyer,
enormous amounts of Demon bodies have been collected by the Undead and brought
to the Dead Mountain. The rebirth of the dreadlord was the beginning of the Kezzar
Nexus, the first of the new nexus and also the nexus to hold the most undead Demons.
Unlike the mortal races of Arkain, the leaders of the Demon Legions were all too well
aware of the existence of the Undead on the Dead Mountain. Therefore they also knew
the price of leaving corpses behind - which has led them to burn their dead, especially
when leaving their homelands. While there have been cases of undead Demons before,
the defeat of the Blooddinker Legion provided so many intact corpses that they
could be formed into an army. Before this event, undead Demons had been rather
uncommon in the ranks of the Undead with only few exceptions.
The Kezzar Nexus consists mostly of undead Demons and their former slaves. While
the former slaves technically no longer are the slaves of the Demons but they all
serve Aridon, the Demons are the ones calling the shots in the Kezzar Nexus while
the slaves are relegated to the lower ranks - though it should be mentioned that the
Demons of the Kezzar Nexus also tend to be more powerful than their former slaves.
The Demons of the Kezzar Nexus are the Demons that have been betrayed and left
behind. It is their urge for vengeance and revenge that defines them. While they look
down on living mortals like they did in life, it is their former kin that they hate with
a burning passion. If it wasn't for their loyalty towards Aridon who would not tolerate
such behaviour, the Demons of the Kezzar Nexus would do anything to invade their
former home to completely destroy their former race - the very race they sacrificed
everything for. Instead the same ambition that has controlled them in life still controls
them in death and they want to prove their loyalty and usefulness to their master at
any given chance.

The Lenira Nexus

"The will of the Divine One is our will. We are the humble tools of his divine will,
students of his endless wisdom. Only the maidens of the True Elves are worthy of
this sacred honor. No other race is worthy for we are his chosen creations. His children."

The Lenira Nexus is quite the odditity in comparison to the other nexus - both in its
roots, its members and doctrines. It is named after the Lenira Family of the Dark
Elves, the family under the command of Pentiss who has taken the place of Quiraness.
The Lenira Family still exists as the ruling body of the dark elven society but many
of its warriors and members are now also members of the Lenira Nexus - while still
being alive which sets them apart from the Undead as a whole to begin with since
the Dark Elves of the Lenira Nexus are by no means unliving creatures. They still
breathe.
Despite the name, however, one should not believe that only the Lenira Family is
providing forces to the nexus. Pentiss herself chooses who can enter the services
of "her" nexus - in the name of the Divine One of course. For the religious, ambitious
and fanatical Dark Elves there can be no higher honor than serve in the ranks of his
unliving armies - meaning that this is a powerful political tool in Pentiss' hands. It
can also be used, of course, to pull internal enemies away from their allies and family.
And if said enemies were to suddenly die a mysterious death... Well, these things do
happen in war.
While there are of course also Undead in the ranks of the Lenira Nexus, it is mostly
comprised of its living members - and the Undead have adapted the mindset of their
living leaders quite quickly - which is not a surprise since some of them were living
Dark Elves before their death.
The members of the Lenira Nexus are fanatical zealots who believe that all should
kneel in the dirt before their creator and by extent them - only to then be enslaved
or slaughtered. They would rather see the entirety of Arkain burn than have it not
serve the will of their Divine One. At the same time, they share the Splecir Nexus'
determination to follow only the wishes of the master, which is also why they have
not launched a full scale invasion against the surface. Yet.

The Daviliad Nexus

"In life, we failed our duty - and our people. We proved to be unworthy to be followed,
adored or trusted by them. In death, we shall redeem ourselves. In death, we will
find absolution. We shall rebuild our realm in the name of our new master."

The Daviliad Nexus has been founded with permission of the Watcher when Queen Keera,
the fallen elven queen, took control of the eastern part of the Elven Kingdom. This
part of the realm had been heavily damaged by the battle between the Demons,
Elves, Golden Guard and finally Undead. Most members of the Daviliad Nexus were Elves
who had fallen under the control of the Demons - either by force, magic, promises or
other twisted means. The entirety of the eastern forest had fallen under the influence
of the Souleater Legion - without anyone taking notice until the signal had been given.
To their surprise, the Golden Guard was able to withstand them despite not having
foreseen a betrayal of this size - being attacked even by civilians and children.
In the end, both factions were completely wiped out by the Undead.
Queen Keera, still mourning over her own failures and the state of her realm, wondered
if she could save it by turning it into an undead kingdom so that she could be the
monarch her people had needed - even if it was in death. As she was given the chance
to create this new nexus, she intended to try doing so, taking the region which was
now known as "Dead Forest" for herself.
Many members of the Daviliad Nexus are reflective of the state of their creator Keera:
Their minds are filled with regret and the desire for redemption - which they find in
their servitude. At the same time, they all are caught in a twisted state of mind which
makes them both pity and adore their undead queen. They are broken spirits that look
for a redemption that may be beneath their grasp - not because their deeds were
indeed too horrific to be forgiven but because they cannot forgive themselves for their
own actions which are sometimes even just of imaginative nature. An undead member
of the Daviliad Nexus may blame themselves for killing a family member even if the latter
had died of illness or by the hands of another with them never having been in a position
to do anything about it.
Despite their lethargy and self-pity however, they are able to push themselves into a
frenzy when called upon. It is their ultimate goal to find absolution - by any means
necessary. The burdens the put on themselves do not weaken their resolve one bit.
When their master calls, the Daviliad Nexus is ready to fight anything and anyone - even
if it means destroying what is left of their living kind. Also, while they cannot disguise
themselves like the agents of the Rohir Nexus, some members of the nexus are trained
to wander unseen through the realms - always ready to strike.

 

[Shar Dundred]

8th November 2020
Today is the day I know some of you have been desperately waiting for:
The release of Chapter Six and Seven!
Originally I wanted to include the Prologue but due to the implementation of the Undead Nexus
factions taking some time (I finished much more than what is currently playable), I decided
to press this release simply because it already had been quite some time.
I expect future releases to be smoother again due to the factions now being mostly designed
and implemented (at least in the data, not in the maps. Yet.).
The new version also features a great overhaul of Chapter Five - including a change of skills
for General Zoia which is why I highly recommend playing Chapter Five again before you play
Chapter Seven. Otherwise you will lose skill points, to put it bluntly.

Anyway, here is a direct link to the new version which can be found in Downloads.
Enjoy!

I am looking forward to you sharing your thoughts in the New Content Discussion thread!

Version 0.03

General:
- Several typo fixes

Chapter Two:
- Reduced the gold of the neutral goldmine from 1,000,000 to 50,000

Chapter Five:
- Fixed Artisans (only usable by the allied Wolf Regiment)
- Fixed the Fire Shield Book ability
- Reduced the attack speed of Stalkers in Hunter Mode
- Fixed allied AI
- Harmos now starts with his staff
- The Pitlord no longer loses a Mindstaff but instead Claws of Attack +9
- Reduced the mana cost of Zoia's Feral Spirit from 100 to 60
- Moved Zoia's Feral Spirit to the Q position
- Replaced Zoia's Shockwave with Howl of Terror
- Increased the training time of Soldiers from 20 to 25
- Increased the gold cost of Soldiers from 150 to 160
- Added Bodyguards (Elite melee units) to the Goldaxe Clan base defense
- Added additional Barracks to the bases of the Goldaxe and Ironthunder clans
- Decreased the gold of the central goldmine from 100,000 to 60,000

Chapter Six:
- Released!

Chapter Seven:
- Released!

 

[Shar Dundred]

14th November 2020
Today I am bringing you a little update of the True Story of Arkain, no new maps this time
but fixes and tweaks.
Also, I have added a little picture here showing you Birram's new look
Finally, I have released a new short story in the Tales of Arkain thread: "A thorough Analysis of the Imperial defeat during the Second Voidwar".

Here are all links:
Download for the new version of the True Story in the Downloads thread!
The new short story "A thorough Analysis of the Imperial defeat during the Second Voidwar" (at the bottom of the post).

Version 0.04

Chapter Five:
- Fixed the destructible trees

Chapter Six:
- Slightly increased the strength of the the defenders of the garrison

Chapter Seven:
- Several dialogue adjustments
- Aedale is no longer a Demonologist and deals no more Chaos damage
- The prison gate now gets properly hit before it gets destroyed
- Increased the strength of the Darkmind Clan attacks
- Reduced the strength of the allied attacks
- All AI factions now start with a selection of upgrades rather than having them unlock over time

 

[Shar Dundred]

19th November 2020
Ladies and gentlemen,

today I am giving you the Prologue of the True Story of Arkain - not to downloiad yet, but
in video form instead! Enjoy!

It also reveals a little something that some of you may or may not have seen yet!
You might be surprised!

Click here to learn more!

 

[Shar Dundred]

22nd November 2020
Ladies and gentlemen,
you thought I was done, didn't you? Well, you thought wrong! It's B-day - no, not birthday,
today we will take a closer look at two more Imperial Regiments!
You know & love them since the Second Orc Book but do you REALLY know them?
No, because I have not really given them the treatment they deserve! Until now!
Today I am giving you the "The Bear and the Boar"!

The Bear Regiment

"Listen to the roar of the Bear and despair."
To understand the Bear Regiment, one has to understand the legend surrounding its origins. The Bear Regiment has its
roots within the very ranks of the regiment they have been rivals with ever since their creation: The Bull Regiment.
According to legend, a group of the best warriors of the Bull Regiment was unsatisfied with the strength their training gave them.
Sure, they outclassed all other soldiers of the Empire when it came to physical strength, but they felt that they should go
even further. They wanted more, much more than what any training, even the training of the Bull Regiment, could ever
give them. They wanted to be not just another strong soldier of their regiment, they wanted to be THE perfect soldier.
They took a look around - and the Wolf Regiment quickly caught their attention. The power of science had given the
Wolf Regiment its powerful armies. But this power could surely do more than just that. It would serve them as well.
The warriors contacted Imperial scientists and asked them to increase their strength to outclass any other human.
They did not want any of the other changes that the werewolves of the Wolf Regiment had to endure, they simply
wanted to increase their own body strength. The scientists were intrigued but due to financial issues in the Empire at
the time, their resources were stretched thin and they required funding. The general of the Bull Regiment disapproved
of the entire operation and refused to fund the research himself. So the warriors had to invest their own resources - making
it clear that success would mean that they would not share the results with the Bull Regiment if the latter did not support it.
Due to the low resources, the abilities of the scientists were limited. So they decided to modify the process that had led
to the creation of werewolves. Instead of wolves, they took bears due to their greater strength. The results were both
outstanding and worrysome. The warriors who underwent the process were turned into giant bear monsters, strong and
as tough as a bear, but also wild and mindless. However, the remaining warriors were able to subdue them, though
it was due to wits rather than brute strength. It took some time but eventually the now as "werebears" labelled beasts
could be given orders - if they were simple enough. The remaining warriors became the handlers of the werebears.
While this wasn't what they had wanted, they had indeed created great warriors - or rather war beasts that could
cause terror and damage if provoked - and the handlers had learned to provoke their former warrior friends while directing
them at a target. After they had proven the strength of their beasts to the Emperor, they were given troops, resources
and funding. The Bear Regiment was born. However, unlike the Wolf Regiment, werebears would not become the heart
of their forces. The beasts were still too uncontrollable. Instead, the regiment was trained in a way similar to the way
the Bull Regiment trained its forces to make them as tough as possible - without making them super-strong humans however.
They had the werebears for that - and the bears that they eventually also tamed. The bears and werebears would become
the war beasts of this otherwise "normal" regiment. And to this day, the Bear Regiment and the Bull Regiment remain rivals.
The current leader of the Bear Regiment is General Fergon Chevar, who, like the original founders of the Bear Regiment, had
once been a member of the Bull Regiment - not only that, he had once been its second in command and eventually even a
friend of General Dorbric. General Fergon was a strong and fierce fighter, however, in his eyes, the Bull Regiment was too
wild and uncontrollable for its own good. However, he could not change the regiment and so left it to join the Bear
Regiment - while it used wild animals, its soldiers were still disciplined humans.

The Boar Regiment

"Boars are dangerous to attack - as are those wearing their name."
After the First Voidwar, when the Imperials became the de facto rulers of the Kingdoms, they realized that the Kingdoms,
due to many centuries of conflict and infighting, had severely neglected their lands in favor of other petty concerns.
Both wild animals and monsters alike were roaming the countryside and the royal forces were too depleted to deal
with them properly. The Imperial Army on the other hand had to secure the borders and cities.
The Imperials assembled hunting parties to take down the beasts but they also learned that the threat of wild animals
and monsters was even more severe than they had thought. The nobles of the Kingdoms had allowed the many animals
and beasts to create their nests everywhere - and not only that, the Orcs were also a constant threat.
An officer of the Imperial Army, Tarm Luthran, asked for permission to take over. He was an offspring of a noble family
that had a certain affinity to hunting. He promised that his experience would be of great help to take care of the predators.
He was given his chance - and he fulfilled his promise: The amount of wild animals and monstrous creatures that were
plaguing the Kingdoms went back. With each passing week, more and more areas of the Kingdoms became less and less
dangerous. However, Tarm Luthran did not stop there, he added a different form of beast to his list of prey: the Orc clans.
Luthran assembled and coordinated hunting parties all over the Kingdoms and they removed not only the wild animals
and beasts but also the Orcs - though many also considered them little more than beasts. While Luthran's forces
were not always the ones to destroy the camps set up by the Orcs, simply because some camps were too large to be taken
down by mere hunting parties, they were experts in finding them - and leading others there.
Tarm Luthran being promoted to general was more of a formality than anything else, he already had the respect and the
forces to be equal to a general in all things with the exception of rank.
General Tarm Luthran sees himself as an honorable hunter who protects the Empire and its "colonies" as he calls the
Kingdoms (much to the dismay of its nobles) without showing any mercy to his prey.
He has named his regiment the Boar Regiment, after the animal that was on his family's sigil - and the first animal he
had ever killed.

 

[Shar Dundred]

25th November 2020
Ladies and gentlemen,

today I am bringing you the conclusion of the First Act of the True Story of Arkain!
This update does not include any new playable chapters, but instead gives you access to
the Prologue & the Interlude which also serves as the finale of the first act.

You can download it here in Downloads.

Enjoy and let me know what you think here!

 

[Shar Dundred]

2nd Decemer 2020
I am bringing you a little heads up regarding the progress today, ladies and gentlemen, so
this will be a short newpost.
Progress is going good, Chapter Eight is pretty much finished (you can find screenshots below).
It just needs some tweaks as it is still a bit too easy. We can't have that of course!
I intend to upload both Chapters Eight and Nine at the same time with the next update.

Stay tuned!

Spoiler

 

[Shar Dundred]

8th December 2020
Winter is coming but things are about to get HOT in Arkain. The Phoenix Regiment is preparing
a special Orc flavored BBQ - and you can surely say that the Bulls and the Wolves are excited
about this one! Meat is back on the menu (for one of the them anyway, I dread to imagine
a soldier of the Bull Regiment actually eating an Orc, that sounds like torture to me)!

However, this lil hot grilling is not all to occur these days! One of the most prominent
characters of Arkain has finally left his chambers to show the Demons the door once more!
And I hear he has ordered a very special set of pikes that ANY head, no matter how large, can
fit on!

The first two chapters of the Second Act fo the True Story of Arkain have just been released!
Make sure to check them out and share your thoughts here!

You can download the new version here in Downloads!

Also, if it was not obvious, I am definitely keeping the "Lore Viewpoints" I have introduced.
It is way too much fun writing them and they are serving their purpose quite well.

Version 0.06

General:
- Lerrig now uses Violet instead of Grey
- Fixed campaign menu screen

Act Two, Chapter One:
- Released!

Act Two, Chapter Two:
- Released!

 

[Shar Dundred]

12th December 2020
Thanks to the AMAZING Hive member/artist/moderator @Mythic Legends of Arkain has a brandnew logo:

Absolutely outstanding, isn't it? Give mah mythical man @Mythic some love, he is an outstanding
artist & member, I'd even say a PILLAR, of this community, he deserves every bit of it.

In other news:
There is currently work on some Demon Slave slaughter, a massive clan war and of course a
war of the knife ears!
Regarding this, there's good and even better news.
Let's start with the good news:
Lord Veringar (I already hear some people say "Who?", I don't blame you) is no longer part of the
"main cast". He never was anyway. The character has been removed and in the fight against the
Demon Slaves, he will be replaced with a much better known & sympathic character:
Sir Edoarus the Executioner!
For those of you who worry now: No, Sir Edoarus is not going to die... uhm, again later down the line.
Unlike a certain someone who has just been removed from the story.

And here is the better news:
The Elven Kingdom & the Clan Wars can also look forward to some changes - and some twists that
I am sure you will not be able to call!
Two words for each:
Elves: Ironfist Characters.
Clans: No Moghtar.

May the speculations begin!
Stay tuned!

 

[Shar Dundred]

18th December 2020
Hope you all have been good, cause Christmas is in the air and the Best Father of Arkain is
coming for all who have been naughty!
(If you have any green friends, make sure to tell them to hide when he comes, word of advice,
no matter how good they behaved this year. Trust me on this one.)
I don't think I will finish the next mayor update before the holidays due to the fact that I want
to finish a total of three maps with quite some changes compared to their original all together,
meaning that Chapters Three, Four and Five of the Second Act will be released together, bringing
us to a total of 12 out of about 66 playable missions, meaning we are already at... over a fifth?
That's... actually more than I thought. Huh. Then again, I did not add any completely new maps.
Yet.

Anyway, I am bringing a small update today, mostly just tweaks and small improvements, polishing
the First Act.
As always, you can find it here in Downloads.
In case you don't get any news from me before Christmas, I hope you have some nice holidays!

I wonder what the Arkain cast wants for Christmas. A raise probably. Or what do you all think?
What would YOU gift to the Arkain cast? (Zed obviously deserves some high quality dog food
and Redfist a new best dad of the entire universe cup, but apart from that?)
Make sure to let me know!
Also: I have put some mildly hidden easter eggs in some missions to give hints for the upcoming
missions - not hard to find or anything but I thought it was a nice little giveaway. Won't be there
anymore in the next update.

Stay tuned & healthy!

Version 0.07

General:
- Several text adjustments
- Cloak of Shadows is no longer a random item drop

Prologue:
- Keera is no longer blocked by the Flesh Golem

Act One, Chapter One:
- Replaced Warlocks with Shamans

Act One, Chapter Five:
- Tweaked several dialogue triggers

 

[Shar Dundred]

28th December 2020
Breaking news
A late Christmas present:
@Jayborino and I have talked about the Legends of Arkain in a little interview, the first part has been released.
Go and check it out right now!

 

[Shar Dundred]

29th December 2020
Part Two of the interview with @Jayborino has been released!
Check it out!

 

[Shar Dundred]

30th December
The third and final part of the interview with @Jayborino has been published!
Check it out!

 

[Shar Dundred]

11th January 2021
Just a little heads up:
Chapter Three of Act Two is done and work on Chapter Four is going well.
Due to the nature of Chapter Four of Act Two, offering several ways to play it, it will require very thorough testing.
Depending on how long that takes, I will either include Chapter Five of Act Two as well in the next update or not.
The release is still scheduled for January ofc.

Stay tuned!

 

[Shar Dundred]

17th January 2021
As work on Chapter Four of Act Two continues, I have been able to finally upgrade a faction
that never really had any defining factors other than being traitors - or descendants of traitors:
The Demon Slaves!
Thanks to the great work of @Grey Knight, they have finally acquired their own unique look!

Coming to your computer with the next update!
Stay tuned!

 

[Shar Dundred]

23rd January 2021
The time has come to kill some Demon Slaves and GET READY TO RUUUMBLEEEE on the Orc
Islands!
Chapters Three and Four of the Second Act have been released!
You can find them here in Downloads!

Enjoy!

 

[Shar Dundred]

27th January 2021
Ladies and gentlemen,
did you ever hear the tragedy of the Dragon Servant unit? I thought not. It's not a story the Royals would tell you.

The Dragon Servant unit was introduced towards the end of the Second Human Book. I was
never too fond of the unit because it was basically just a pegasus rider with black armor.
Don't get me wrong, I like the Pegasus model but for the Ironfist or in this case Zyainor,
I would have wanted a human dragon riding unit and we went deep to look for a good model, but
did not find any.
Until now.
Thanks to my good friend @General Frank, the Ca'rach of Zyainor can finally not only fight alongside
their black dragons but also mount them.
It does not automatically mean that I will get rid of the model of a dark pegasus model.
It means only one thing.

Zyainor is back baby!

Special thanks and shoutout once again to the man, the myth, the legend @General Frank who provided me with model, portrait, missile and icon!

 

[Shar Dundred]

7th February 2021
Ladies and gentlemen,
time goes by so fast. It has been 3 years since I touched The Official Arkain Timeline [SPOILER] thread,
even though the changes have not been that massive yet. I have removed the events of
the Arkain campaigns and made some other very minor adjustments.
I am undecided whether or not I am going to keep it, however. It was created because the
Arkain campaigns weren't supposed to be continued and to establish some sort of canon
storyline - which now the True Story of Arkain is doing.
I am not saying that I will definitely remove it, but I am also not sure if I want to keep it.
Time will tell.


In other news:
Something stirs in the Kingdom of the Elves. Dark magic is hiding deep in the forest, spreading
both promises of power and corruption in the land of the long-lived Elves.
Cold iron is brought there to challenge it, but... will it be a saviour to the weak military of the
Elves... or spell its doom?

Salana Woodhunter is returning home after a failed diplomatic mission, accompanied by both her
loyal elven comrades as well as three powerful soldiers of the Ironfist:
Captain Herdon, grim, humorless and brutal.
Lieutenant Tormin, humorous, witty and elegant.
Sir Ferdal, disgraced, silent and resilient.

Salana, her followers and this Triumvirate of Iron stand against an army of traitors and cowards.
The war in the forest is about to begin and there will be some to take great interest in its result.

 

[Shar Dundred]

24th February 2021
It's time for Salana and the Triumvirate of Iron to step into the light!
Chapter Five of Act Two and the Interlude following this mission have been released!
You can find the new demo here in Downloads!

 

[Shar Dundred]

7th March 2021
Work is continuing as usual. Chapter Six of the Second Act is in full production and I expect
that I will soon be able to give @Kasrkin a version to test.
You can find some WIP images attached to this post.
The mission following this one will be a version of the Breeze maps.
"What, no Undead underground map?"
Exactly, Gary the fictional user who does not exist. The reason for this is that this mission is
going to be scrapped as well.
Just like the other missions that have not found their way into the True Story of Arkain, it
was more of a filler mission than anything else and I would rather not have that in the True
Story.
It only showed some Ironfist shenanigans and that was basically it. Yes, it also highlighted the
use of tunnels by the Undead but I do not think it was required to highlight it.
I am sure that you will agree when I say that it is not a big loss overall. It is not like I am
removing larger quantities of maps out of ill will, I want to keep these to a minimum, but now
that we have removed one map per First Book, I would say there is no issue as of yet.
I have no other cuts planned right now and I would like to remind you that completely new
maps will accompany the True Story just as well - I will let you speculate about this for the
time being.

I have some ideas for the "Breeze map" that I would like to think a bit more about before
making any public statement on it but I will give you a hint:
If I can actually do what I consider doing with it without losing any braincells, it will have high
replayability.

Now here are the WIPs for Chapter Six of Act Two, enjoy & stay tuned for further updates!

Hidden

 

[Shar Dundred]

10th March 2021
Ladies and gentlemen,
today I have some more ordinary news for you.
It's mostly about Orcs so if you hate them, you can stop reading now. ;-)

I will look into adding more characters to the Character Sheet within the next few days.
I think some of the Orc characters that used to be too "minor" to be added deserve an entry now
(i. e. Dogran, Gorthog).
Speaking of Gorthog, I will change his name from "Gorthog the Blooddrinker" to
"Gorthog the Beastlord" with the next update. I will also slightly adjust his "lore". Some context for
this will be in the spoiler below - if you want no spoilers but still want to know the reason:
It is not a retcon, it is more like merging two characters into a single one.
It feels more appropriate given the lore of the Skullblade Clan - and some things that his clan
will do in the future - yes, the beast tamers will still have a role to play in the future.
I will let you speculate on that one. ;-)

Context about the name change

Originally I had wanted to add another character to the Orcs who would be part of the
Skullblade Clan and take the "Beastlord" title. This character would have been used for something
that I have decided does not "require" a new character. I believe that in this particular case it
makes more sense to just give one character more depth than add a new one.
Add to this the fact that this character would only have been added because I
did not want to change Gorthog's name for the True Story which is not as much
of an issue really so I should have done so to begin with.
Also, Aridon would probably get mad at me if I continued adding more Orcs and no Undead.
We wouldn't want people losing their head over this, would we?

I expect the next update to be released relatively soon.
Stay tuned!

 

[Shar Dundred]

15th March 2021
Ladies and gentlemen,
as announced earlier today, there will be no chapter released today.
Instead, however, I have decided to release a new short story: Generals of the Empire!
You can find it here.
Generals of the Gempire is a collection of smaller stories, similar to the Heirs of Zyainor
Vol. I & II. It includes the following stories:
The Bull, The Wolf, The Burning Falcon and the Goldhearted (Yes, you read right).

Enjoy & stay tuned for Arkain updates!

 

[Shar Dundred]

19th March 2021
A message from @General Frank

Can't say no to that.


The man, the myth, the legend strikes again! @General Frank once again
proves to be a true ally of Gardon Bloodclaw for once again he has given
the Ca'laer of Zyainor a new weapon to be used in battle.
This new model will prove to be of great importance to the Knights of Kome
who by the way will be back soon!
I know you all missed their castle! They can't wait to see you again either!

Special thanks and shoutout once again to the absolute madlad and great @General Frank who provided me with the model, the meme and two icons for the model (one may or may not be the one you see above and may or may not be used ingame!).

 

[Shar Dundred]

20th March 2021
Ladies and gentlemen,

the time has come: Chapter Six of Act Two has been released!
You can find the new demo here in Downloads!

In addition to the new chapter, this update also includes an update of Gorthog's lore
description in Chapter four of Act Two and a completely new scene at the end of the Interlude
The Council of Generals.

Enjoy!

 

[Shar Dundred]

21st March 2021
The characters Dogran, Gorthog the Beastlord, King Gran Gorehowl and Orgen Bloodstone have been added to the Character Sheet.

 

[Shar Dundred]

24th March 2021
It is late in the day and the dead are walking again!
Three NEW characters have been added to the Character Sheet - all of them Undead!
And there are more yet to come!
Check it out to meet Galareth the Great, Kazardius and Tremalon!

 

[Shar Dundred]

27th March 2021
Even death cannot stop the brotherly bonds that are forged between individuals.
Three characters have been added to the Character Sheet - all of them Undead!
Check it out to meet the brothers Arnos & Dornos and another brother - Mordin Hammerfall himself!
...The last one may be a bit sad, just as warning up ahead

 

[Shar Dundred]

1st April 2021
Ladies and gentlemen,
the Second Orc Book has been released on a 1st April.
The True Story of Arkain will (probably) not share that fate.
Instead however, Gorthog the Beastlord is going to give you a real show!

Enjoy!

 

[Shar Dundred]

23rd April 2021
As Chapter Seven of Act Two is slowly devouring both time and sanity, @Jayborino has
played Chapter Four of Act Two during Maporino!
Make sure to check it out!

 

[Shar Dundred]

1st May 2021
I have kept you waiting for a long time - Chapter Seven of Act Two was really quite... something.
Chapter Seven: A Fresh Breeze allows you to choose between Humans, Orcs and Undead!
(which is a reason why it took so long to create)
This new release also brings some fixes and tweaks to other missions (i. e. buffed Sir Cheveran
in Chapter Six of Act Two, new ways of earning money & weaker minor clans in Chapter Four of Act Two
and more!)

The next update will include both the interlude that finishes Act Two and more fixes for the act, to "finish" it
so please report any bugs or other issues that you find.
You can find the new demo here in Downloads!

 

[Shar Dundred]

8th May 2021
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to thank everyone who has given feedback up to this point - and everyone
who continues doing so!
I have already used this feedback to fix & tweak more things for the next update - among
them being the Soldiers of the Gerrazar Order being slightly more powerful, Gorthog capturing
a lizard pokemon and the Undead of the Zirr Nexus stealing the fire effect of the Kingdom Bowmen!

I hope you are enjoying the True Story of Arkain so far! I enjoy reading people speculate on the story
or discuss things with each other.

I intend to finish the cinematic to conclude Act Two this weekend. Furthermore I want to further improve
the True Story of Arkain by improving on what makes it the ultimate Arkain Battle Simulator brought to you
by Arkain Industries - we bring the war to your home and give you a seat in the first line without giving out
Spell Immunity to protect you from AoE effects after all!

The existing factions will eventually be updated to be given a special upgrade to further empathize who they are.
As I mentioned in the past, the Ironfist will have an upgrade that increases hit points and regeneration to capitalize
on how hard it is to bring Gardon's men down. The Ardoz Nexus on the other hand will gain an upgrade that empathized
their terrifyingly powerful machines - I considered an upgrade to make them all just go insane and do whatever while
you as player can only sit there and watch but let's face it, we don't want that... Or well, I don't want that. Yet.
I have more upgrades and other plans in the works that will remain behind closed doors for the time being.
Supporting Arkain on Patreon gives Gorthog an upgrade to get more pokeballs!
Actually nevermind, he just took some on his own...

Stay tuned for the full release of Act Two and news on Act Three. I know you all missed the Siege of Kome, so go
and grab your favorite Orc units to smash them against those high walls... Or whatever else you have to throw.

 

[Shar Dundred]

9th May 2021
Ladies and gentlemen,
after getting into video editing with the Gorthog video, I decided to continue playing around
and have created the first lore video for the Legends of Arkain!
No longer do you have to read the entry of the Wolf Regiment yourself, you can listen to me
read it for you instead!
If it is being liked enough, I may do more of it in the future.

 

[Shar Dundred]

16th May 2021
The time has come, the End of Act Two: Crossroads has been released!
Along with it come some other tweaks and improvements for the entirety of Act Two.
You can find the new version here in Downloads!

 

[Shar Dundred]

17th May 2021
Ladies and gentlemen,
as I have recently announced, I have looked into adding upgrades for the new & different factions to
make them even more diverse (some examples would be some units of the Wolf Regiment gaining a summon ability,
some Rohir Nexus units having a chance to spawn ghosts upon death, Goldaxe Clan having passive gold income etc.)
During this process, I have come to understand that it would probably make more sense combining this mechanic
with the well-known & universally liked Leadership Bonus mechanic due to the mechanics obviously overlapping with
one another.

The idea of turning Leadership Boni into Faction Boni (not the actual name) struck me but I thought that it might make
more sense to continue connecting these things to the characters. This also allows a more diverse gameplay since factions
such as the Ironfist, the Golden Guard, the different Orc clans, the different Nexus all have multiple characters with their
own way of doing things.
Then there are factions who only really have one or two characters representing them, I think the different Orc clans are
a good example for that.

Sure I could add both faction & character related "boni upgrades" but I feel like that may overburden things a bit. My idea
was that you can already choose the faction so you could further diversify your gameplay options by tying the boni to the
characters rather than the factions, allowing for interesting combinations (like a bonus from Zoia when playing as her "best
friend"'s faction or combining the powers of the Darkmind Clan with Rangul's bonus).
Either option would ofc come with some lore if the WarCraft limitations let me write enough...

Personally I think I prefer the bonus being tied to the characters rather than the faction but I would like to hear more options
regarding this as I am not fully decided yet.
This is not saying that upgrades like one that will make the Ironfist benefit more from their higher hit point regeneration are relying
on this poll, they will get this upgrade, I know they need it to be more powerful than they are in the Second Books.

The poll can be found here!
Please also share your thoughts in the Round Table of Arkain to discuss this topic.

Thank you & stay tuned for further updates!

 

[Shar Dundred]

18th May 2021
Ladies and gentlemen,
once again, the demo has been updated. Thanks to @Kasrkin's massive efforts (and a possible
loss of sanity that Arkain Industries will of course pay reparations for), numerous bugfixes
and tweaks have found their way into the demo version which has once again been updated.
You can find the new version, as usual, here in Downloads.
That'll be it for Act Two for now. I would rather add the boni that I mentioned last time with
the third act.

Remember to take a look at the poll from the last newspost if you have not done so already and
stay tuned for the next update which will deliver forgotten terrors. Brace yourself for a great
siege and uncover what possession and obsession can cause to those who are not prepared for it.

 

[Shar Dundred]

26th May 2021
Ladies and gentlemen,
I bring to you another entry of me reading Arkain lore to you!
No longer do you have to read the entry of the Bull Regiment yourself, you can listen to me
read it for you instead!
If it is being liked enough, I may do more of it in the future.

 

[Shar Dundred]

26th May 2021
Two newsposts on one day? MADNESS!
Ladies and gentlemen,

he's done it again. The outstandingly amazing @General Frank truly has deserved
a special place among the Knights of Kome. Not only has he provided Arkain Industries
with new unique models for the knights themselves, oh no, he has also provided a hero
version of the knight model, an infantry model & a sergeant model - plus icons for all of them!

Why has he done that, you wonder? THE GATES OF KOME HAVE REOPENED! COME ONE, COME ALL!

Special thanks and shoutout once again to the fantastic @General Frank who provided me with the models and icons!
I am starting to run out of adjectives.

The greenskin-hating, ever vigilant Knights of Kome invite all Orcs to their home - they challenge all to come and
take their prisoner from them - and many are answering the call!

Will you be able to break the powerful armies of Kome?
Will you lead beasts of war through the gates or be slain like Goliath?
Will your greed bring you both riches and victory or to your downfall?
Will brute strength destroy these shields or leave no impact whatsoever?

Stay tuned to find out...

 

[Shar Dundred]

6th June 2021
Ladies and gentlemen,
do you remember the Order of the Flame? Yes? Well, I would be surprised if not.
There are of course other elemental orders that did not get as much attention in the past.
This will change and more detail about the orders will be revealed - the Order of the Flame
will not lose its position as the "most prominent" one however due to being the most powerful
of the orders.

Of course, there's also other factions and characters that need more spotlight.
I intend to add a number of short stories in addition to the many things that are being added to the
True Story of Arkain. I may focus more on the non-human factions due to the Humans already having
a high amount of lore - I will not stop writing for them still, don't worry!

Stay tuned for future updates!

 

[Shar Dundred]

8th June 2021
Ladies and gentlemen,
I bring to you another entry of me reading Arkain lore to you!
No longer do you have to read the entry of the Dragon Regiment yourself, you can listen to me
read it for you instead!
If it is being liked enough, I may do more of it in the future.