New Content Discussion [SPOILER]

[Jayborino]

Yes but if Aedale is freed from Lisiana, she helps to save Merlon.


I question the largoth's motivations. i guess that the demonic invasion serves his ambition to dominate the world but we don't know the details. Killing aridon, i suppose. I speculate that taking over the empire was planned since a long time.

Merlon is dead in post-True short stories, but Shar could always retcon that (cough Ironthunder cough).

I think Largoth's motivation boils down to being the chaos to Aridon's imposed order. It is interesting and funny though to imagine he has to do a bunch of administrative shit as the Emperor that has nothing at all to do with the continent of Arkain.

 

[Jongyi233]

Don't know how to feel about this new 'religion'.
And I am sure giving so much power to Inara who is shady asf, is surely not going to backfire at us. Guys, right? right?

 

[Navy45]

They really couldn't come up with a better name than "The Shadocracy"? May as well just call yourselves the Bad Guy Apostles.

Personnally, I don't think it really sounds like a villain group. Like, the shadow sect or the shadow society would make for an evil cult. Shadocracy makes me think about a constitutional right for all shadows to life, freedom and vote. Thus allowing elections to determine the best Shadow to lead all other shadows; be they completely obscure, relatively dim or only slightly shady, all for the benefit of the greater gloominess !

 

[Nicolas Warchief]

YES, FINALLY YES! Aedale wins over Lisara. Specially because the lore of Aedale is she trying to be stronger and all around her telling that she is not strong enough (Salomar with her trying to pick demonic powers) or his family. And now we see the Lisara being defeated by the one that she think that can control, maybe think that she was weak, when she was'nt!

We will see Aedale brashwasing Zoia? It would be nice but i prefer both them making a alliance if possible. It would be so good if we see a faction of Aedale with Gorthog leading the Murlocs, Moghtar and beasts + Zoia + That paladin + Marlin with the rest of Golden Guard attacking Empire of Rodan.

This final i think would be all key characters stablishing his factions, Gardon with Ziyanor, Amari with Dominion, Bonelord with his own faction of undeads, Ebira with demons together with Orie, and now maybe the Anti-Tregakh/Emperor faction (Specially with Marlin that know the betrayal and last wish of Renault wanting attack the Emperor).

Maybe we will see after True Story of Arkain an Legends of Rodan? I would love this!

 

[Zergy]

I sense... The Red Day is Coming...

 

[Nicolas Warchief]

I sense... The Red Day is Coming...

And will be epic! I originally love this mission. If this was made like Pride of Empire i will love, a final massive battle, all or nothing to both sides.

Maybe Zaimark will die to Phoenix Imperial? Or Oneye.

 

[Mvicio]

Lets talk about the newest interlude:
-Well Gran did weaken their defensive position by taking everysingle gnoll with them but it was appreciate, both in the orc and redfist mission.
-So this time Vanessa gets help from our lovely hortnog to negotiate with the humans of salria. Also Hortnog taking the royal treasury for himself was goldaxe mentality 100%.
-So the ogres wont be staying as his own faction anymore but spread among the orc clans (and perhaps around other races too) that way you dont need another ogre representative. Also let the Bearmen in peace on their own forest in Salria pls, he really did suffer a lot.
-Inara gets two more clans, mixing wolfriders, hunters, shamans and thugs is quite the combination. Not sure how she is going to mix them together without a problem though.
-Shadowcracy, i mean is a good name, they workship shadows which are equal to everyone, as one in unity. But Amari is the leader because she is the representative of Bryan.
-Finally Aedale gets her moment, in her character sheet says that she was destined to become the most powerful spellcaster of the empire, and she finally did something, bind a demoness to her and overpower her, having all the knowledge of the demons at her disposal.
-Cheveran can´t heal Zoia? I mean he is a paladin, i suppose Aedale can´t trust him so she prefers taking Zoia to a wound healer. I doubt she´ll live much longer anyway.

Seeing that the most devoted followers of the Light were the Golden Guard and the paladins, the Dominion worshipping the Shadows doesn't sound that evil.

At this point may as well workship Progaderas, at least you´ll stay warm.

We will see Aedale brashwasing Zoia? It would be nice but i prefer both them making a alliance if possible.

I doubt that, i think Zoia will save Aedale and die herself, since they want to join Gardon and probably arrive in the gates of hell... Perhaps Ebira + Orie tries to kill Aedale after betraying Kersidar (or stay with Kersidar until she can kill Lisara). Making Zoia defend his little sister and dying in the process...

That seems reasonable at least to me.

Maybe Zaimark will die to Phoenix Imperial? Or Oneye.

Those two are alive post second books era.

 

[Zergy]

-Cheveran can´t heal Zoia? I mean he is a paladin, i suppose Aedale can´t trust him so she prefers taking Zoia to a wound healer. I doubt she´ll live much longer anyway.

Reasons for that:
1.) Shar Dundred may be inaccurate with how healing works.
2.) If you notice from the Chapter "A Dish Best Serve Cold" and its ending cinematic (I think it was the Wrath Ending). Aedal ordered the Paladin to heal Blen but failed horribly. So I think she doesn't bother to tell him, cause he's an idiot.
3.) Aedal was so filled with emotion that she forgot that she had a Paladin with her.

-Finally Aedale gets her moment, in her character sheet says that she was destined to become the most powerful spellcaster of the empire, and she finally did something, bind a demoness to her and overpower her, having all the knowledge of the demons at her disposal.

Surprisingly, she overcomes Lisara, compared to the 2nd Human book where Aedal became the puppet.

I do hope the Red Day will turn out to be another Pride of the Empire tug of war Mission, but I think Shar will try the classic revamp of the Original map, in his way.

 

[Paul Emirique Ibanez]

And will be epic! I originally love this mission. If this was made like Pride of Empire i will love, a final massive battle, all or nothing to both sides.

Maybe Zaimark will die to Phoenix Imperial? Or Oneye.

I would love this kind of setup. The pride of the empire was literally one of the biggest battle in Arkain with all the different human factions and orc clans

 

[Kalvon]

God, this cinematic is so good! Some backstory about Gardon and Aveen!! It is so sad and heartbreaking!

i am curious about Zed. he has met Brian but didn't recognize in the mission lord of shadows. why?

If i would guess, this cinematic would take after the battle in the red day.

 

[Plantpaladin]

I thought the Amulets were gifts from the black dragons and that was the reason he didnt offer one to Vail.
This states he had them long before he came to the continent.
I guess Brians teachings allowed him to infuse them and other jewelry with the same powers.
I guess he dont use them on Thanok or Vail is because he respects them too much and/or black dragons wont be fooled.
Edited from feedback.

 

[Mvicio]

Oh no.... Aveen is going to turn into a shadow servant right? Like Amari did with Logan in SOB. She don´t deserve that, i hope at least Bryan release her after the Gates of Hell.

So finally we get to know about what "thero" means and that Bryan tried to teach aveen, also i like how the trio had each one a type of magic:
Praxeus, Light
Gardon, Shadow
Aveen, Nature (it could be Life too) being the bridge between them.

 

[Navy45]

I will assume that the latest cinematic is canon since... well I don't want Aveen to die.

• So we finally have the backstory of the amulet trio. "Bark !" Ok, ok, quartet. Them pillaging some random amulets and getting them enchanted is way too cute.
• It's sort of weird to see Brian in his shadowy knight form at this point. Of course, he's already fused with Baarizel, but I thought it was more gradual, especially since Gardon tells him he "spent a little too much time in the shadows" when he sees him again in Toran, so I assumed that he was mostly human looking when he was teaching him. Also, he went into a temple with his family, came out the only survivor looking like that, and no one proposed to burn him at the stake ?
• So we learn about Praxeus' and Gardon's falling out, but what prompted it ? Like, was it just that shadow magic is not friendly looking, or Brian's teachings lead to Gardon taking some extreme actions ? Why exactly does he believe Brian to be a bad influence ?(apart from looking like a Dark Souls minor boss, he's rather the perfect gentleman)
• So Gardon's access to the emperor was restricted when they were somewhat in their youth. It could just be noble families being morons, but it could also be Trekagh ensuring a scion of Baarizel doesn't get close to him. Still, if they couldn't meet, why did Gardon have the Emperor's favor in Lor ?
• So, I'm a little lost with the genealogy here. Gardon is the emperor's half brother but is illegitimate right ? I assume that's why Aveel's mother didn't like them meeting. But does that mean Aveel is legitimate ? Is she openly the emperor's sister and no one bothered to mention it before ?
• Brian's last words are definitely ominous. If he plans to make her some sort of shadow creature, ironically, that makes him somewhat more similar to Aridon than killing her did. Still, if she ends that way, she better keep most of her personnality (at the very least on a comparable level to Aridon's undead). Aveen working as a sort of councellor/executor of Brian would still be cool (way better than her dying at least).
• Aveen's insistance to reunite Gardon and his family is rather odd. On the one hand, it could be mind control from Trekagh, taking advantage of their relation to use Aveen against Gardon. On the other hand, her witnessing the falling out of her only friends at a young age in addition to seeing Gardon's growing hostilities with her family could easily birth this type of obsession.

 

[Jayborino]

Well, it's left on a fun cliffhanger and hopefully our boy Brian pulls through without doing something monstrous. Do we even know what Brian does with shadows he takes? We've not seen a Renova shadow.

But one thing we can know for sure is that Aveen ain't gon' be running Salria lmao. Dream big tho queen.

I thought the Amulets were gifts from the black dragons and that was the reason he didnt offer one to Vail.
This states he had them long before he came to the continent.
I guess Brians teachings allowed him to infuse them and other jewelry with the same powers.
I guess he dont use them on Thanok or Vail is because he respects them too much and/or black dragons wont be fooled.
Edited from feedback.

It seems that the trio's Old Amulets (friendship bracelets) function differently than the influence amulets that Gardon and Birram spread around. If the Old Amulet's were under Brian's influence then Aveen and Praxeus would not have been hostile. Re: Vail not getting one, I think she is not stupid enough to take one but also I agree that the Black Dragons likely know what they do so they - and any Zyainor royalty by extension - are not viable candidates.

We still don't know what magic is used to enchant the spooky ones. I think it's more a "Dark" magic thing rather than "Shadow" magic since brainwashing/influencing is more like trickster type stuff. There seems to be all sorts of enchanted jewelry in this fictional universe and it all does different things depending on who is handling it and turning it into a conduit for different magic.

So, I'm a little lost with the genealogy here. Gardon is the emperor's half brother but is illegitimate right ? I assume that's why Aveel's mother didn't like them meeting. But does that mean Aveel is legitimate ? Is she openly the emperor's sister and no one bothered to mention it before ?

Just as likely she could be another illegitimate child with a different mother of different status. Theodor I really got around. So they are definitely step-siblings one way or another.

 

[DD Mikasa]

Damn Brian...Is actually...Nice...Guess ill have to eat my words of calling him some sort of subtrefuge type of dude since shadows are closely related to subtrefuge...
I guess that merging of whatever was left of the god with the poor knight that happened to stumble upon the mausoleum that his remains were locked up actually did not produce a crazed creature that would terrorize the world but actually produced a being blessed with the powers of a god and the heart of a mortal. I find it hella cute that Brian actually had his own house with his own pen with his own animals and such. Also maybe a BIG maybe as to why Brian did not intervene when Gardon was struggling to end Praxus might have been the fact he might have considered the three (four with the young zed) as his family ya know.He was the dad and the three kids were his children.

 

[Mochi King]

I have the false hope of aveen surviving (similar to salana's case where she heals after a long period of time). though, i honestly wouldn't count on it since she already sealed her fate. I've always had the impression of Brian being the better person compared to Tregakh and Aridon. Seeing as he wouldn't want to kill aveen after those memories just shows he isn't heartless. There are also a lot of interesting events in the true story. Every faction is taking Ls. Humans taking the most (All regiments dead/Golden Guard dead/Redfist will die/Daric's mercenaries very likely to die). Orcs (distrust with the gnoll faction/Brockta dead/Borean dead/invaded by undead and redfist/Lokar dead/Sas dead(not really an L, more like a W)/Gorthog became a moghtar(still up in the air whether they're friend or foe)/Destroyer dead. Undead (merging of the bonelords/distrust of rahandir) though fewer compared to the rest, still a pretty big impact. Glad aridon isn't as all-knowing as he sees himself to be. Demons (well that's a given). Tregakh (lost the moghtar to gorthog/lost lisara to aedale). Glad stuff evens out. Still waiting for the rahandir/rogthil vs aridon original story(hopefully). As for the rest, hoping for some tweaks from the original books.

 

[Fan_of_Aeroblyctos]

Just wanted to say I enjoyed the last missions a lot! and the cinematics as well. I have the feeling that the missions are getting better and better and more and more balanced.

So. Thanks a lot, once again, Shar. Happy new year to you especially and to everyone.

 

[Jayborino]

Yoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo A RED DAY

I loved the surprises on this mission: Progderas and the Knights of Salria. Count Belas new Sliced Bread character in line as a proper suitor to Amari

Is Logan dead offscreen or is it purposefully ambiguous? I wonder if the observations several of us made about how he lost a lot of his narrative setup led to it being best to not bother with the character anymore and have him essentially be replaced by Daric. Perhaps it is a misdirect and we'll see him once more though in a final chapter.

This was a fun map that still retained a lot of its original challenge. Also similar to the original, it seems worth it to be very aggressive even at the cost of a forward base. The only bug I ran into was fairly major where my units near where the mid-mission cinematic takes place stayed frozen - I had to kill them to reclaim the supply for myself and my allies and also get my heroes back.

 

[Apprentice Darkmoon]

Well, Red day finally over. Of course I will put all as a spoiler alert, so be careful.

Spoiler

Story:

• Logan... not you too. Damn, what a wait to close the year. We lose a lot of charming characters, except for Sasrogarn, he's is a fool.
• Awwww Vanessa and Grofzag's conversation... Now, after all, they only have each other. Their little interaction warmed my heart.
• It seems that my predictions about the heroes were... completely wrong. At least I was right about Inara being close to Gorehowl.
• I don't expect the knights of Salria to come to the rescue. Their help was helpful.
• Of course Prodageras wants his final takedown. Can anyone end his suffering?
• I don't expect Rengar's nobles to be enemies. All fools, there is a war against the demons and they went against the orcs. Well, I'm sure Goldaxe will claim the riches those idiots brought with them..
• That elf ranger... damn, she REALLY wanted to get revenge on us for agreeing to be brought back as a Dark Ranger. Oh well, this was her final battle.
• Borean's corpse at Redfist's main base... THAT was the final push to unleash all my anger on Fox. Now it is HIS skin the one I will put to use...
• Orgen is finally dead. Justice for Brockta, finally! I just hope Amari made his death painful and not quick.
• Well, Zairmak made sure that Kenos couldn't return. It's kind of ironic the method he used... you know, "fighting fire."
• Well, Daric and his remaining forces are leaving. It's a pity that he doesn't have a nice amulet around his neck to serve the Tribal dominion.
• Aveen... you deserve it, piece of ---- nvm. You promise PEACE if the Dominion brings you Amari... WHY don't you use the same shit to stop the son of a bitch Fox from killing Borean?! Stupid woman! Now you're dead, and the one you think is an enemy is now PROTECTING your shadow to avoid a little trick from his brothers. Hmp..
• Now I wonder what will be Gardon's reaction with this...

Gameplay:

• Grofzag's boni was my choice. Army of rocks.
• Once I cleaned the path to the nearby fountain, I attacked both Redfist's base with Goblin airships.
• Be careful with your attack against the Bloodstones. Is better if you destroy their base AFTER Prodageras attacked.
• Once Daric's base is destroyed, you can decide of eliminate either Redfist/Phoenix regiment or Rengar/Falcon regiment. I destroyed the first ones just I was sick of Kenos and his damn fire birds, and his new "trick".
• Try to snipe Redfist's fire towers with Goblin airships or dragons.

Well, this was a good way to close this year. As Mr. Dundred say before "this is not over yet" so we can expect a few more missions. Also, there is Gorthog and his moghtar still in the wilds... so maybe will be have a last orc mission.
Anyway, have a good new year, everyone.

 

[Shar Dundred]

I have just uploaded a minor update for the new chapter that should fix the little "units remain paused forever" bug
as well as made a teeny tiny adjustment to the final cinematic that in no way hints towards anything.
It was already there before but in testing it was too obvious and now in its release state it had become incredibly difficult to spot.

 

[Mochi King]

Those blind to loyalty are honestly destined to die. Salana was a good example of this. It's a shame that the falcon and phoenix regiments decided to pursue the orcs, but it was indeed inevitable. Poor aveen. As for zelech, i have a feeling he will play a part in the death of a certain admiral (not directly). Now, I suppose the Orc story ends and the human and undead are the ones left.

 

[Plantpaladin]

Another great mission. Did the Goldaxe boni for the money. Went full ground.
Started with ogres then transitioned to golems.
Keep some raiders around to net air.
Went with shamans + Witch doctors. Aoe heal/stun + Bloodlust
Harnon will banish your melee and Commander Fox hits are insane if you dont focus + silence them.

Clear out the flanks after you do the first base, you want the support or they'll kill you with flanking attack if you try to move on Daric. South is easier but keep one disrupt for the starfalls. North gets rid of Phoenix regiment which is more useful.
Hardest part was defending/rebulding expansions after attacks.

Most has already been said storywise, no more regiments;(
Overall it left me wanting more resolutions in the rest of the True Story.
Do we get some resolution for the Mog'tar and Gnoll storyline?
Will a lot more be pushed into End of the Invasion, another mission or two, or left hanging?

 

[LISBOAH]

Interlude:
-Amari said "Indeed". Only evil people say "Indeed".

Act Nine Chapter Ten:
-After around two hours, I finally managed to win this mission.
-Fox is all brawn and no brain. He apparently doesn't understand that the Moghtar could have very well outflanked them.
-The freakin Salrians came to aid us?! "Ride Salrians! Ride! Ride for ruin and the world's ending! Death! DEATH!"
-How many Dwarves did Zarin send to their deaths due to his pride and thirst for revenge? He should have stayed in his caves, and now pretty much all of Arkain has every reason to hate the Dwarves.
-Fox said that no mere orcs could defeat him. He apparently forgot about all the other races that are with the orcs. And through the Redfists' actions, even humans sided against them.
-Fox sent Zelech to go after Aedale, the one that killed Duke Redfist. The Redfists surely love going on quests for revenge, huh?
-Damn. I really wanted to kill Zelech. Well, at least Aedale will do the job.
-Kenos was overconfident in his ability to return. He got beaten twice, and now he expected the outcome to be different?
-At least Daric survived and he now may provide aid to Gardon. Shame about Logan though...

 

[Mvicio]

Okey lets a lot to say about RED DAY:
-Amari sent Inara to watch over Gran, because she can´t kill him without losing the gnolls forever. Also pechan was getting along Inara.
-Is.. is Logan dead? Really? I was expecting him being the leader of the blackthorne along the goldaxe clan but he just died offscreen? Despite the relevance he had in SOB. I mean Daric barely had more screentime after Lerrig´s dead, but now he survives?
-Vanessa really miss Sasrogarn, since the rest of their brothers also died, the only one she had left was Sas. Also he did rush to Siege Kome just to get her back.
-Shouldn´t we able to get more dominion units right now? I mean we can´t build bearmen (i suppose without their leader they are kept behind the frontlines) but neither centaurs and Flammedus is there. I get that we can´t build gnolls since all of them are with Gran but the rest?
About the units, the ogres joined us but we can´t build Magis or Overlords.
-The salrians are actually helping us fight the Rengians? It was an unexpected surprise, also are all of the knights of Kome that joined redfist dead?
-Progaderas didn´t spawned at all, is there a timer or something, i really rushed the first 4 bases.
-So Amari used their fanatics life to survive the explosion? Gran was right about being suspicious, that magic is really handy.
-Syreina is back again, she really likes being defeated by Grofzag right?
-The Rengians base was the toughest especially since Aveen sent everything everytime, however Kenos forces were the strongest, even more than redfist.
-Hey Borean´s body is there, in Fox base, now they can properly bury him.
-Zairmak 3 Kenos 0 and this is the end of the phoenix regiment and his first master, the only ancient being as old as Zairmak. Also killing him with fire was a nice touch.
-Orgem is Dead, that´s it, Amari kills him and probably she´ll take his shadow to have a handy sharpshotter at her disposal. If you also includes Inara she really have a band of assassins to herself.
-Well fox wouldn´t be defeated by orcs that´s for sure, we already know how the orc units fare against redfist but the other races did beat him.
-Aveen really did get interesting at the end, she was ready to die in order to save her forces AND the mercenaries, wanted to help thero and zed against the demons and also go back to Rodan to fix the relation between Gardon and the "emperor". But bryan had to order her execution (Amari wanted to spare her since her deal with gardon is more beneficial) and then take his shadow, perhaps for fighting, perhaps she´ll save Gardon´s life in gates of hell but Gardon won´t forgive bryan if he knows about it.
-Grella please you´ll do anything amari orders, i did compare Grella and Pentiss at the beginning of the campaign because their Kit was similar (the Q are the same and they have strong auras and ultimates) but Pentiss would throw away her entire race to fullfill Aridon´s orders, then that changed because of Bryan and Pentiss doesn´t trust Aridon anymore.
And Grella had the opposite development, she went from a proper leader to a puppet that would sent all the dark trolls to their deaths if Amari says so. That´s a pity.
-Aveen backstory was rough, those four were like brothers, they got the same old amulets, they trained together and Aveen really trust Bryan despite what he teached to Gardon.

Well, Daric and his remaining forces are leaving. It's a pity that he doesn't have a nice amulet around his neck to serve the Tribal dominion.

There is no need for that, the blackthorne will be better. Also since he supported Lerrig against Gardon, was trying to kill the orcs and the dwarves doesn´t speak to the humans anymore, i doubt he´ll get many contractors in the future.

WHY don't you use the same shit to stop the son of a bitch Fox from killing Borean?!

Because this time was only Fox and Zelech + she had Daric´s and Orgem´s forces. That time she was with Kenos against only redfist and Orie, they just followed her orders because of his father.

-Fox sent Zelech to go after Aedale, the one that killed Duke Redfist. The Redfists surely love going on quests for revenge, huh?

Is just what they do. Also there is a lot of people on that pursuit
Zelech is trying to kill Aedale, Aedale (plus Zoia and Cheveran) wants to defeat Largoth, Gorthog wants to do that too. Orie wants to kill Aedale and is supported by demons. So Redfist, demons, Wolf regiment, Gerrazar order and Moghtar.

-At least Daric survived and he now may provide aid to Gardon. Shame about Logan though...

Logan did not deserved that really.

 

[Plantpaladin]

Briefing felt great at building tension.
Cora feels doomed, maybe she'll join Demon faction along with her sister and Zoia.
Brians confession felt tragic, tried to save Gardon but instead pissing him off.
Would probably have been better to convince Aveen to shut up.
Undead deciding to retreat felt logical. Demon offer felt good at providing context, all demons dont want war but after everything he just suffered it felt absurd to think Gardon would accept.

 

[LISBOAH]

Just watched the new interlude:
-Well, Aveen was not exactly being brainwashed by Tregakh. Amari could have kept her as a political hostage, just saying.
-The problem with Brian is that he is seeing the whole plot from the perspective as one of the Four. He sees Arkain as a game of chess between him, Aridon and Tregakh. Meanwhile Gardon is focused on the demons, and he doesn't like seeing both himself and his allies being used as pawns to others.
-With Brian on watch, and both Rahandir and Sapphira not wanting for the betrayal to occur, Aridon's plans will not go as planned.

 

[Daffa]

I like how Thanok being the man to keep Ferdal in line. Also liked how Ferdal held a grudge to Larine.

I also find the whole scene between Brian and Thanok amazing. It really shows that despite already falling out, Brian truly cares for his former apprentice. It also shows that Brian wants to make sure that without him, Gardon will survive future conflicts.

The dealing with Ebira reveals some interesting information. I'd argue the offer is very enticing. Gardon decision to decline do make sense though. All the mess he went through because of the demon will not justify the offer for him.

Also, about Cora, it makes a lot of sense regarding the "how the f they destroy purificator" in this version, everything else accounted for.

 

[Apprentice Darkmoon]

Wow Gardon ACTUALLY showing feelings is... something new. Obviously if your sister - The last living member of your family that you trust the most - was killed, calm is not an option. Poor Kinslayer.
Brian did many mistakes, he could take Aveen as prisioner and showing her everything alongside Gardon. This probably could break her heart, but at least she is still alive. Well, now this alliance have its first wound. I still dislike Aveen anyway.
I understand both Saphira and Rahandir. I too dislike Bloodclaw and his damn Ironfist, but they're currently humanity's last hope. Something on my mind is that if Krom failed on kill Merlon, Zeleck will kill him when tries to kill Aedale as revenge.
Ebira is REALLY a fool to offer Bloodclaw that kind of deal. So that's the reason why the demons want to kill Aridon, They want the ring back.

 

[Championfighter25]

The new interlude definitely shows some pretty interesting things.
Gardon has been going on a downward spiral and hasn't been thinking straight ever since Tregakh took over the empire and this is the culmination of that.
You could interpret Gardon's war against the demons as a coping mechanism for the losses he's had to endure ever since the True Story entered its second book phase.
The undead betrayal, as weird as it may sound, will be for the better in the long run, as it will allow Gardon to dial down and realize he needs to properly rebuild the lands he has already conquered and prepare for the next war.
Purificator or no Purificator, the lands of the demons are too vast and in such poor shape that whatever push the humans make will be of little value. Not to mention that the demons will fight tooth and nail, united against a common foe, and won't be willing to give up their lands so easily.
Well, it was nice of Brian to indirectly warn Gardon one last time. And while Gardon is incredibly unreasonable, at least the mentality behind his decisions is made pretty clear.
Two characters that will most certainly die after the capture of the Gate of Hell will be Ferdal (probably slain by Kazardius) and Merlon (unless Shar decides a major retcon is in order). As for the rest, we shall see.

I'm curious what will happen in the next chapter, which I assume will involve Gorthog and him hunting the rest of the Dark ones and subduing the rest of the Moghtar.

 

[Navy45]

Finally could play the latest level ! The only thing worse than waiting for more Arkain is waiting to actually get to play released Arkain maps.

The Red day :

• The loading screen text says there will be "no tactical retreat or surrender". Considering Zelech retreats, Aveen surrenders and even the remaining Redfist are getting spared... this seems like an exageration.
• Ironically, the redfist have very little to do in this chapter compared to the mercenaries/regiments. They have most of the forces, but they're already beaten and they were probably the only ones not to realize it. Though I wonder what Zelech might achieve. Maybe he'll catch up to Aedale and Zoia will die in the fight... though I would prefer she survives. It'd be nice to have her as part of Zyainor.
• The level on normal wasn't too challenging. But then again, there's little that can beat 5 heroes, Frenzied dragons and healing wards. No matter how many boots they get onto the battlefield, humans just can't compare to the onslaught of the Bonelords.
• I didn't expect the Salrians to intervene militarily. But I suppose with gold and justifications to go against the imperials/Rengians, it's no wonder they found some noble to agree.
• The poor kingdom of Rengar doesn't even get his own colour. They just share the blue with Kerrel.
• I didn't expect Daric to survive. And Logan seems to be dead, or at least assumed dead. A shame that the only surviving mercenary is the one we know next to nothing about.
• Nice to see how Zairmak destroyed Tremalon. Fun to think that he probably was only able to destroy major undead because Kenos survived his attack in Lor. Though I wonder if Kenos is truly gone for good, especially when we still know next to nothing about him. I suppose time will tell.
• Why doesn't anyone mention poor Borean's corpse in the Redfist main camp. At least they hadn't the time to turn him into a coat. Hopefully we'll see the Bearmen have a funeral when the dominion's peace is ensured.
• If there was any doubt that Grella's amulet has a greater effect than she intended, that should end them. The old Grella never would have stood for this execution without at least protesting and asking for a reason. Though I wonder if the amulet makes her agree with lying, or if it just makes her persuaded that Aveen tried to kill Amari.
• Brian fucked up big time. Ironically, the one being manipulated by Treckagh might have been him even more than Aveen. I saw what seems to be the shadow of a flying creature, likely an eagle, leave when Brian finished Aveen, but I don't know how significant it is, considering Gardon learns of it from Brian himself. Maybe it'll "tell" Praxeus. Talking about him, Brian said that neither Gardon nor Praxeus will forgive him. Does that mean he knows Praxeus survived ?
• I played this cinematic two times (on the latest version), one where Aveen's body remains, and one where it disappears. Which one is bugged ? Because hime taking the body would make sense so that Aridon can't get to her, but Gardon's men apparently found the body.

Interlude Blood and Water :

• It would seem more appropriate to call this one "Blood and Wine", not that I can blame Gardon for needing it.
• That's a lot of responsabilities on Cora. I suppose from the human point of view, she was the first to pledge alliegeance to Gardon and is thus trustworthy. I wonder if she'll learn that Aedale no longer needs saving after her inevitable betrayal. I hope she's still human enough by then for it to hurt.
• Gardon immediately preparing to blast Salria with the Purificator after learning of Aveen's death is extremely sweet. I'm not usually a fan of genocide... but had I been there, I would have mentionned that the problem of the kingdoms eventually turning on Gardon can also be dealt with with the Purificator.
• Gardon told Brian that he won't just obey him, "not anymore". I wonder if Gardon's insistance that Brian isn't his Master anymore comes from a bad decision that he didn't question because Brian told him to. This might have been a part of his falling out with Praxeus.
• So Brian gets banished. Now he won't even get to try to save Gardon against the undead. Won't say Brian doesn't deserve it.
• Rahandir and Saphira have quite an impressive dedication to the people of Arkain, considering they risk defying their master to save an army lead by a man they disapprove of. I wonder how Aridon will react.
• As I expected, the pact is rejected. Though Gardon's insistance on marching on into the demon lands seems more self-destructive than triomphant. Maybe the death are starting to get to him. I still expect Ebira to finish off Kersidar.
• So we have the almost confirmation the invasion was motivated, in part, by the retrieval of the Demon God's artifact, the Ring of Damnation. Is that sentimentalism/faith by Ebira, or do they know what to do with it ?
• Well, we are nearing the end of the human storyline of the SHB, and with it, hopefully, the last of the tragedies of this war. I wonder if we'll get any more missions with the undead and orcs (or perhaps Mogthar)

 

[Jayborino]

Interesting how Blood only seems to be thicker than Water for Gardon in very specific circumstances. It doesn't seem to be about blood/familial ties so much as who was nice to him when growing up, so I feel like that saying doesn't fit super well.

Considering Gardon doesn't seem to think of Brian in a particularly negative way in the Aftermath of the Second Void War tale, I suspect he will soften up a bit after seeing Brian's warning about the betrayal come true. I found myself agreeing with others who asked why Aveen couldn't have been a political prisoner, but seeing Gardon's reaction makes it clear Brian knew from their history together that Gardon would do anything to free her rather than calmly sitting down for a chat. Then the ceasefire talks would have never been successful (and Amari would have had to crush him , stay mad)

Gardon not taking the pact makes complete sense and his haphazard spiral is a great improvement of his character arc over Books Era Gardon, who was a very likeable but unchanging asshole.

We also learn Ebira only cared about the invasion as it related to revenge on Aridon and reclaiming Zindrach's ring. The Seat of the Demon God gets a home makeover over the next 20 years and I suspect Ebira's objective has been about investigating possible circumstances that could revive Zindrach to unite the Demon race. All three other brothers "died" in the confrontation only to come back in a weaker form. She reasonably thinks it is possible but doesn't know how and assumes the Ring is an important catalyst.

Perhaps an "End of Act 9" that is playable with Gorthog preceding the cinematic finale map?

 

[nchp1903]

Looks who forgot to check the thread and delayed the playthrough of the new chapter for like two weeks. I almost forgot to play the game, but there's nothing that tower and Dragon spam won't solve.

Anyway, I finally got my answer on what did Aveen aim to achieve, and it was one that changed my entire perspective on her. She went from this annoying General who occasionally sends reinforcement to something really tragic.

A girl who wants to fix the relationship and accidentally bares her weakness to a Dark God, and got killed by another God who tried to fix it. Meanwhile, she's unaware that Praxeus and Gardon simply took different paths, believing their path will lead them to their goals, committed to it, and ended up on opposite sides of the conflict.

I'm weak to this kind of story - the kind that forces a normally stoic man to break down. At first, after Praxeus and Renald "died", Gardon swapped his Amulet for a flask. Then, he advised Merlon not to drink to be in, as a form of projection or self-reminder. He also kept Cora away from the battlefield to keep his mind away from the fact that she sent Praxeus downstream to his death. Just when he got everything under control, Aveen is ripped away from Gardon, and on the peak of his anger, Brian - his former mentor - revealed that it was him who told Amari to do so, and to deal the final blow as well. And still, no one around him can share his pain. Thanok was a loyal soldier but not a friend, Ferdal is just a thrall, and Vail is more of a political partner than an actual loving wife.

His cause, his fight against Demons, it's all he knows, and it's all he has left. He is a flawed leader, but I love his story and his design for it.

Now that I'm done preaching my love for well-written tragedies and for Gardon himself, I'll return to my lair to wait patiently for the next chapter.

 

[DD Mikasa]

Finally had a go at it and this one was a slog, it seems like the best approach here its to always attack when your allies attack, the waves of Salrian forces do help a lot as well, at least they make up for decent fodder.

Lore wise, i think Grofzag words summed up the entire reason why this expedition failed so terribly... You're greed and thirst have led you astray they indeed did Grofzag not just her but the entire human alliance. What can i say the humans keep being as divided as possible again. A whole army of Orcs Centaurs Ogres Gnolls Harpies Goblins and what not and they are still squabbling and blaming each-other for events outside of their control.
The interaction between Hortnog and Amari made me chuckle abit, the dude has mastered the art of haggling. They are in the middle of a life or death battle and he still finds enough time to discuss on how the war booty shall be split.
So now i assume that Gorthog has taken the mantel of the hidden guardian angle of the orcs. His unexpected arrival in the field of battle with his Moghtar to tie up the majority of the Mercenaries as so the entire orc army could not be encircled screams Hidden Guardian Angle vibes to me.
Grofzag and Vannessa interaction...Was...Cute.

The dwarf hero that said '' I'll smack yer arse to the other side of the continent'' its based as hell.
Orgen lost to the oldest trick in the book, you cant shoot when you get sand throw into your eyes (I mean it was shadow but yeah).

So wait a minute correct me if i am wrong but Kernos was actually some type of undead? That was why he kept coming back.


Now regarding the other interlude Shar posted...While everything points out that Gardon has reached the final point of grief and is going a down ward spiral that threatens to end his fledgling Empire...I do think that there is some merit to his reasoning as to not taking the deal... 300 hundred years of peace might end making the humans so soft and complacent that when the truce would end they would get absolutely steamrolled and destroyed by the demons. I know i am reach way to deep with this theory and most likely Gardon mental fortitude has deteriorated so much so that he can't think straight anymore. Him loosing members of his family, a childhood friend, getting stabbed in the back, i guess it was about time he'd reach the breaking point.

Ill be watching this new arc of Rahandir with great interest...He hasn't been the same ever since the angelic encounter.

He also kept Cora away from the battlefield to keep his mind away from the fact that she sent Praxeus downstream to his death.

I am pretty sure Praxeus got saved by that weird angelic demon thing when Cora tried to cast him away into the river (but then again gardon doesn't know this so your point does make sense).

Interesting how Blood only seems to be thicker than Water for Gardon in very specific circumstances. It doesn't seem to be about blood/familial ties so much as who was nice to him when growing up, so I feel like that saying doesn't fit super well.

Technically he was an outcast, a bastard son of an emperor who refused to claim him, shunned by his own flesh and blood this might explain as to why his stance on his own kin might differ that much, but if we go back the last stand of the golden guard mission, It seems that Gardon struggled with most of his kin deaths (except Van Durce's death, but even in that he did have a moment of doubt)

(and Amari would have had to crush him , stay mad)

Kinda hard to crush a man who wields a nuke bomb of a tool that can eradicate anything it looks at and its equally as skilled as you in terms of warfare. And all you have for it are a bunch of greenies with sticks and stones.

I didn't expect the Salrians to intervene militarily. But I suppose with gold and justifications to go against the imperials/Rengians, it's no wonder they found some noble to agree.

I dont think gold played that much of a part in it (except giving them the means to rearm themselfs. Salrians (at least common folk and the lower nobility i would assume) aren't xenophobic per say they had never been raided by the Orcs they had warm relations with the Dwarfs, the demons could not directly hit their lands (with exception of some cult opening some portals).

From my PoV Salrians were offered a deal, join the Tribal dominion as an equal member or join Rengians who will most likely try and steal your land and rule over you. In their eyes they would trade the old cast of Salrian high nobility (the one who started the unnecessary war with the Centaurs, who then invited the orcs for aid, THEY STARTED A WAR WITH A BUNCH OF NOMADS who had no real means to threaten them nor they wished conflict with them) for the Imperial and Rengian one. That would mean more war, plight and taxation. AND lets not forget the Redfists literally slew a Salrian Commander and burned countless villages for trading with Centaurs who weren't even orcs. I guess the redfist zeal, their greatest advantage over orcs ended up being their greatest weakness to them, the more sophisticated race who prefers politics over bonking got outmanoeuvred politically by the less sophisticated one who prefers bonking over politics.

I played this cinematic two times (on the latest version), one where Aveen's body remains, and one where it disappears. Which one is bugged ? Because hime taking the body would make sense so that Aridon can't get to her, but Gardon's men apparently found the body.

He took her shadow, not her body, i would assume by shadow Brian means the very essence of a living being. But then again he might have taken her body as well and then thrown it along someplace else closer to Gardon's scouts so they could find her away before The watcher or his minions tried anything.

Is.. is Logan dead? Really? I was expecting him being the leader of the blackthorne along the goldaxe clan but he just died offscreen? Despite the relevance he had in SOB. I mean Daric barely had more screentime after Lerrig´s dead, but now he survives?

I like this new direction though...They are all mercenaries, they are convenient to use in times of need BUT you wont lose sleep over them dying. This fits their theme as Mercs pretty well i'd say. But hold unto your hopes there might be a chapter around Gorthog and how he might try and recoup after the battle with the Mercs where Logan might end up being alive. Who knows. After all he was never mentioned in name and lets just say Daric was pretty fond of Logan i would assume he would mention him being dead.

 

[nchp1903]

Very fun mission, with some good difficulty tweak compared to the original, very competent reinforcements, and...Ornasion serving as the AoE damage dealer in place of Merlon and Salana is a surprise change, with the Deathlords being very good healers too.

Spoiler: Review

• There's a new Hopeflayer Legion? And now it is also mentioned that Kersidar had to buy the Hellguards instead of mass-produce them? Damn.
• Gurannogosh, Deragan, and Kersidar all survived the Purificator, which...sucks. Although, their strength greatly diminished, and my Heroes can take him down with ease.
• My reinforcements are useful, but my allied bases are not. They can barely get through the welcome mat near the Hopeflayer and Dreamhunter.
• Saphira fired one arrow and fail, but her goal is just to distract, so it kinda works up to 80%. Krom, however, shot to kill, so he is willing to turn his opponent - Merlon - into a pincushion of arrows if necessary. However, Aedale popped up to save Merlon, so I had hope for his death being retconned, but then...Ornasion teleported in, snatched Lisara and Aedale away, and popping Merlon's shield. Damn.
• The bossfight was rough. Merlon finally unleashed his hydromancy to survive the encounter, sending out devastating lightning bolts, multi-directional Crushing Wave, and even a Sea Elemental to do his bidding, all packed in a small battlefield. Krom even got two random Infernal coming out of nowhere to pound his bony ass too.
• Except...I didn't have to deal with any of that. I loaded my save game and skipped the cinematic too quickly, so...

 

[Nicolas Warchief]

You are a monster Shar Hunred are you hearing me? MONSTER, you give us hope that the good ending of Merlon would happen and retcon of short stories to... no... we will kill him anyway.

And this fight confirm to me that in a 1v1 Merlon would destroy this old skeleton WITH EASILY, he need 2 infernals, TWO INFERNALS to kill the Merlon, my admiral is so strong making 3v1!

Now i am curious of what will happen to Aedale, maybe another ally to fight against Tregakh? Or we will see Aedale vs Ornasion

 

[Jayborino]

 

[Apprentice Darkmoon]

Alright, new mission done. And as always, I'll hide my thoughts on it:

Spoiler

-I wonder where Ebira went if she isn't with the rest of the demons from the beginning. Did she go to report on the Souleastaster's defeat?
-Does Saphira expect Krom to accept the withdrawal so easily? She tried, better than anything.

• Also Kazardius defending Vail and threatening Krom; He surely lived for Zyainor.
• WOW When I expected an ally to help us (Maybe Aedale or Zoia), the surprise was better: Ornasion came to our aid!
• Well, I don't think Kersidar is dead. He's also a high-ranking dreadlord...does that mean he'll be back? Or maybe a certain succubus will be the end of him?
• What a pity that Saphira couldn't kill that bastard Ferdal, damn it!
• The other thing: Ornasion kidnapping Aedale in search of answers. Poor Merlon, they left him to die. Rest well, Seabright... unless the undead want to use it against Ironfist. Well, if we had undead Selior...
• Now I wonder what happened to Zoia and Cheveran.

Gameplay:
-My choice was Heroes of Zyainor and I have a question: Ornasion did not receive the HP and mana bonus, is it because, according to lore, he is not part of Ironfist? But at SHB Lerrig also received the bonus.

• Pressing with allies is the key. I used dragons and some banishers to keep the push against the enemies and catapults for the siege.
• be careful when using the call to allies, if they get stuck on the way... well, bad things happen.

Now I wonder what's next. I guess we have to wait for news and more.
Good job as always.

 

[Jayborino]

Great mission that felt like a direct improvement both in narrative and gameplay.

Unsolicited change request: remove the Ironbark wave summons since we can build them anyway and give Ornasion a Kezzar wave summon.

I’m excited as usual to see what is next.

 

[Nicolas Warchief]

Unsolicited change request: remove the Ironbark wave summons since we can build them anyway and give Ornasion a Kezzar wave summon.

That would be cool

View attachment 458117

PERFECT SCENE

One thing that i loved was that Gate of Hell become much more likeable in gameplay factor, because we don't need spawn giant dragons to destroy gate, we can make it wih land units with waves timed, so Ornasion with meteor power and a third wave of units was awesome. The necessity of using mass air unit like in the original Legend of Arkain is gone. So much mission originally have this problem only win because you have air unit powerful, Lords of Golden Guard, Last Stand, Gate of Hell etc etc

 

[Kalvon]

Well, Ornasion would be a surprise for everyone. the Aridon's silence would be useful for Shapira but Krom was spectic.

Adaele saving Merlon, i had seen coming it! But Ornasion come to take Adaele. damn! Shar, i curse you for it!

the boss fight was nice. I have to let infernals fight Merlon who takes my spells. No end cinematics? I would except more for the end.

I guess that we will have more missions. Mogthars, remnants of golden guard, undead?

 

[Nicolas Warchief]

I guess that we will have more missions. Mogthars, remnants of golden guard, undead?

I bet that we will get that mission with remnants of Golden Guard trying to flee after dealing with demons, but maybe we will play as Merlon, that would be NICE!!

 

[Kalvon]

I bet that we will get that mission with remnants of Golden Guard trying to flee after dealing with demons, but maybe we will play as Merlon, that would be NICE!

Merlon is dead. I think that you are speaking of lord Marin.

 

[Hinata28]

Still waiting for the final stories or playable missions and the FULL release of this campaign.

Shar, when?

 

[Championfighter25]

Despite the absence of Brian, which I thought will make this mission harder than the original, Gardon, Larine, and Vail's summon abilities coupled with Ornasion and his avenge more than made up for it.

For a second I thought that Merlon was going to survive. RIP Merlon.
Now, I'm both curious what Ornasion and Aedale/Lisara's interaction will be and what Zoia is currently doing.

Ferdal surviving is a surprise. When I first saw the cutscene, I thought Brian might have subtly intervened, but upon rewatching, that didn't seem to be the case. I'm still expecting one more appearance from him, because I doubt Aridon, even with Rahandir trying to convince him otherwise, let Gardon and Vail go just like that.

This mission created far more questions than it did answers and I'm looking forward to how characters like Zoia, Toraes, Gorthog, Aedale and more will have their stories wrapped up.

 

[Shar Dundred]

There's a new Hopeflayer Legion? And now it is also mentioned that Kersidar had to buy the Hellguards instead of mass-produce them? Damn.

They're actually still from the Second Human Book - they just didn't venture past the Gate.
And yes he had to, he doesn't own the Forge.

And this fight confirm to me that in a 1v1 Merlon would destroy this old skeleton WITH EASILY, he need 2 infernals, TWO INFERNALS to kill the Merlon, my admiral is so strong making 3v1!

I hate telling you this but @Kasrkin won this fight in a 1v1 during testing because the Infernals were on lunch break. X)

View attachment 458117

That's going to the album.

What a pity that Saphira couldn't kill that bastard Ferdal, damn it!

(-:

Ornasion did not receive the HP and mana bonus, is it because, according to lore, he is not part of Ironfist?

Ornasion wouldn't let a mortal tell him anything - even if Vail was willing to try.
I decided against him being affected by that Leadership Bonus - I don't think he needs it, especially
after having been gifted Avenge for this one.

Unsolicited change request: remove the Ironbark wave summons since we can build them anyway and give Ornasion a Kezzar wave summon.

Liking this idea.

 

[DD Mikasa]

Well is it me or this chapter has gotten much easier ? I remember your allies barely surviving the demon waves with your help, left alone they would crumble. Now they kinda kicked the demons teeth in all the way to their third bases when they got stalled.

Reinforcement waves area actually pretty competent especially the Kome knights, together with Theoden and some support from your banisher healers they can really last long and serve as your front line.

I went for a Cav/Ironbark/Banisher spam and managed to actually push all the way to their third base then i had to change to drake spam.
One little issue i had with the Ironbark waves you choose to call into battle. Their casters (the ones we also have access to) raise the ironbark units, while this is neat after nerby enemies are killed the ironbark simply stays static not moving, and this really clogs up the tight space you have to break through.

Lore wise...Well we now have even more questions to answer.

what Zoia is currently doing

Well Zoia was with Aedale, Aedale ended up on the demon gates, maybe Zoia took a detour up to capital and met with Whitefield and Birram. She wasn't t much of use to Gardon in the invasion anyway her regiment got utterly vanquished.

EDIT: Oh i almost forgot when Ornassion enters the battle and starts bickering with Kersidar their lines play twice. Might wanna check that out Shar.

 

[Shar Dundred]

Well is it me or this chapter has gotten much easier ? I remember your allies barely surviving the demon waves with your help, left alone they would crumble. Now they kinda kicked the demons teeth in all the way to their third bases when they got stalled.

You couldn't even help them, there's pathing blockers from since the old days.

 

[DD Mikasa]

So the allies got more competent then.

You couldn't even help them, there's pathing blockers from since the old days.

 

[Kaftarepir]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh nooooooooooooooooooo Shar! Why is this story line keep getting cooler I cant wait to see what happens now! Merlon gone, Aedale taken by Ornasion.....! This is just getting better & better! The mission was really fun thx man

 

[Enki555]

Phew, it's been an eternity and now returning from long slumber. I will record what has transpired at Gates of Hell:
-Quite a perfectly fast-paced mission and appearance of beloved Ornasion was more than welcome. Him replacing Cora was oddly fitting. It would be much fitting for Ornasion to call upon Kezzar though as they are hellbent on revenge upon their living kin rather than brancholegionary forces. And perhaps we could see new units for Kezzar as an invasion force with Morganur leading xD. It would also be cool if Harmos can summon Order of the Flame members... but the current state of order could be a limiting factor.
-I hoped to see full techtree of Demon Slaves as promised two years ago (just like Marin's steampunk army). It would make sense at this vital position to station all slaves along with more heroes to give a good challenge.
-Larine's healing come in much handy as Ornasion is undead and Vail can't heal herself. Along with Harmos's golem and Ornasion's Avenge, the demons drowned in flame and hailstones. The hero line-up was oddly perfect. The classic dragon spam worked as they are instrumental in destroying gates. Make sure to call all reinforcements when encroaching on base and perhaps Mira Trueshot can appear as much-needed Ranger?
-Ornasion claiming his revenge was wholesome and thematically fulfilling. And Saphira missing her shot seemed more of skill issue on her part. Now, it is most intriguing to see whatever interaction Ornasion and Aedale/Lisara will have. Not sure if he can somehow separate his beloved demoness... At least Merlon didn't die backstabbed but actually put up a fight. He would be a good addition for Rohir nexus leading undead fleet though since Rohir and Splecir sustained heavy losses in Gates of Hell... maybe lost even more than half of their nexi against demons (Faction status would need to be edited reflecting that). So, next mission set to be undead? Maybe assault on Purificator with other nexi ambushing... perhaps, as a last-ditch attempt, maybe Purificator can be fired at invading nexi and perhaps major undead character would be killed. Would be interesting to see Daviliad one last time... oh, perhaps they can make appearance since they are said to stalk through realms undetected. As for Kazardius, he could very much betray undead and side with Zyainor along with his Zyaise revenants (Splecir gonna have huge loss for sure.) Also, triple liches (eyes?) of Aridon haven't appeared yet... perhaps, they can make appearance?
-Once again, more questions left... hopefully, they will be given justice. Keep going.