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I'm guessing Hunter and Prey, but with playable Bonelords instead of Krom and Meya? Or better yet, a new, True Story-exclusive mission altogether?
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Listen to a special audio message from Bill Roper to the Hive Workshop community (Bill is a former Vice President of Blizzard Entertainment, Producer, Designer, Musician, Voice Actor) 🔗Click here to hear his message!
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Read Evilhog's interview with Gregory Alper, the original composer of the music for WarCraft: Orcs & Humans 🔗Click here to read the full interview.
Round Table of Arkain
Deleted member 304046
D
Deleted member 304046
Decided to publish a mini-essay or an opinion piece of sorts, mostly in regards to the Imperial Regiment Generals and their treatment of Blen Greymoore.
While the Orcs/Tribal Dominion are my favorite race and faction in Arkain, and the Undead are good "middle-of-the-road" option, being neither my immediate favorites nor being disliked/despised, the Humans and some Demons tend to be my "punching bags", either due to being cruel and causing harm to certain characters that just happen to be liked by me or, in case of Humans (Elves and Dwarves to an extent as well), taking precedence over Orcs/Tribal Dominion, at least in my opinion, and due to my bias against Humans taking "the central"/"the main protagonist" role in fantasy works (it's one of the main reasons why I did not grow to like Gardon, the Ironfist and its characters). In the case of Imperial Regiment generals, it's a bit of both, though I mostly focus on their attitudes and actions against the Orcs.
Zoia Blackwolf: She was already quite an unlikable jerk in the Second Orc Book when she did not listen to Logan's commands and, if my memory serves correctly, called him a coward and wanted to kill him. It's been a while since I played Arkain Books so I might be misremembering it. Her and Wolf Regiment's actions against Inara and other women of the Darkmind Clan was what made her a detestable pile of toxic waste to me. Watching how her warriors treated Inara was very unpleasant for me and learning what was done to Inara and other orc women made me want to see Zoia and the entire Wolf Regiment dead. Zoia, Darkfang and that cursed wolfguard, who chose to take Inara as the prisoner in the first place, must be slaughtered and butchered in the most painful and ruthless way possible. Honestly, Zoia and her repugnant dogs are far more hateable and sadistic than Duke Redfist himself. Volarian was at least a pleasant individual once and there's at least some understandable reason for him acting the way he does. Sure, Redfist will kill the Orcs and their allies in a fanatical way, but it is far less evil and psychologically cruel than turning Orcs into gladiators and forcing them to kill each other. Van Durce was and will always be right about Zoia, her thoughts and actions are evil, and if it weren't for Inara, Zoia should have been killed the moment Van Durce arrived. No matter how arrogant and pompous Van Durce and his Golden Guard are, they are undeniably far more noble than Zoia and the Wolf Regiment. And the rest of the Regiments for that matter.
Aveen Elvir: Why does Elvir act so cold towards Blen, even though he had done nothing wrong to her? Is it because Blen was not born into nobility, unlike her? If that's the case, then Aveen is very petty, elitist, snobbish, vain and not as intelligent as she thinks she is. Perhaps her hostility to Blen comes from knowing about Selior's insecurities in regards to him (since Elvir and Selior seem to get along), yet she should be smart enough to know that Blen holds no ill will to Selior, considers him his friend and never wanted to overshadow him in any way, not to mention that Blen is not even aware of Selior's true thoughts. Moreover, she knows about the strained relationship between Gardon and Van Durce, yet she told him in her letter that Van Durce cares for Gardon more than he lets on. Why could not she have done the same in regards to Greymoore and try to tell Selior that Blen considers him his equal and would not want him to feel bad in any way. If Aveen knew how Selior felt about Blen, she could have done something to help Selior overcome his negative feelings and allow him to trust Blen, but she didn't. This makes her a bad friend for Selior. Perhaps she uses Selior and his insecurities as an excuse to hate Blen? I can see that being the case, that's for sure. Also, she was not shown to care at all when Blen was sentenced to imprisonment and execution, meaning that she is completely fine with Greymoore being killed. Speaking of Van Durce, I enjoyed when he reprimanded the generals for their incompetence and inadequacy. Aveen more than deserved those words and I would be delighted to see her be taken down a peg or two. Or thousand. I hope she dies, preferably at the hands of Lokar the Crusher, a much cooler character and a better person than her. A horrible and stuck-up arsehole, Aveen, along with Zoia, is the worst and most unpleasant of all Imperial Regiment generals and leaders. Even more so than Lord Genethas, Duke Redfist and Tarm Luthram.
Kenos Harran: He and his forces participated in an attempt to exterminate the Darkmind Clan and may have been the one to burn the former Ironthunder Clan chieftain alive. Because of this, as well as due to being a human, Kenos deserves to die, either at the hands of Lokar the Crusher or Flammedus, showing superiority of Centaur humility and kindness over Imperial arrogance and xenophobia. He also did not express anything in regards to Blen being imprisoned and about to be executed, making him yet another general who does not like Greymoore. To his credit, Kenos does have few redeeming moments: in the interlude Rising Tensions when Greymoore and the others arrived at Cleavehand's camp, he did suggest to let them rest and said that they must be tired after their long journey, while in the Pride of the Empire he wanted to spare Vanessa's life and told her to leave the battle. Like Elvir, Harran is more silent and reclusive of the Imperial Generals and may not exactly be a people person, yet he has more sense of common decency than Aveen. If one were to ask Elvir for something, she would brush the person off, but Harran would be willing to help. I am not on Kenos' side and he is still among the four Imperial Regiments generals that I don't like, but he is slightly more redeemable than Zoia and Elvir, both who make Sir Edoarus the Executioner, who is one of Aridon's the darkest servants and more hateful than even Rahandir Drakeskull, and the entirety of Scarec Nexus look more welcoming and affable.
Dorbric Berangar: Like with Kenos Harran, Dorbric is more likeable and sympathetic than Zoia and Elvir, and I do feel quite sad for the cute, old bull after he lost Fergon, Ramerius and Selior. However, he and his regiment did partake in an attempt to wipe out the Darkmind Clan, thus I side against him. That being said, I do not necessarily want Dorbric to die. He still has to be defeated, preferably by Brockta to showcase his strength, but he can simply be bested in combat and then leave Salria in peace. I do not like Dorbric, but I can be slightly less harsh on him than I am with some other humans. In regards to Blen, Dorbric was his teacher, yet he did not react at all during the moment when Van Durce announced Blen's imprisonment and impeding execution. Yes, Dorbric was shaken by the loss of Fergon, Ramerius and Selior, and he did think that his teachings led Blen to prison, but he did not stand up for Blen against Van Durce when the former was to be taken prisoner and also did not show any resentment in regards to Van Durce, Golden Guard and the Empire for unfairly sentencing Blen, his own student, to death. Dorbric could have gone berserk and attempt to attack Van Durce after hearing that Blen will be punished, only to be intimated by the tall, gold and arrogant High Lord into submission, perhaps even being dominated in combat by the High Inquisitor. Only Gardon, Harmos and possibly Merlon (if his lines of dialogue in the Second Human Book are taken into the account) were true, actual allies to Blen and the ones to vouch for him, but no one else did. Neither Elvir, nor Kenos Harran, not even his own mentor. Aedale did not attempt to protect him from Van Durce. If Fergon was alive, he may not have stepped up in Blen's defense, even though there was no animosity between the two and the same goes for Ramerius. Ramerius may have complimented Blen after the battles against the Orcs (though I think Ramerius' praise to Greymoore was backhanded and not truly sincere), but due to his connections with Van Durce and Golden Guard, Ramerius might not have spoken in favor of Blen. So yes, Blen was almost all by himself, alone and without anyone truly being on his side.
While the Orcs/Tribal Dominion are my favorite race and faction in Arkain, and the Undead are good "middle-of-the-road" option, being neither my immediate favorites nor being disliked/despised, the Humans and some Demons tend to be my "punching bags", either due to being cruel and causing harm to certain characters that just happen to be liked by me or, in case of Humans (Elves and Dwarves to an extent as well), taking precedence over Orcs/Tribal Dominion, at least in my opinion, and due to my bias against Humans taking "the central"/"the main protagonist" role in fantasy works (it's one of the main reasons why I did not grow to like Gardon, the Ironfist and its characters). In the case of Imperial Regiment generals, it's a bit of both, though I mostly focus on their attitudes and actions against the Orcs.
Zoia Blackwolf: She was already quite an unlikable jerk in the Second Orc Book when she did not listen to Logan's commands and, if my memory serves correctly, called him a coward and wanted to kill him. It's been a while since I played Arkain Books so I might be misremembering it. Her and Wolf Regiment's actions against Inara and other women of the Darkmind Clan was what made her a detestable pile of toxic waste to me. Watching how her warriors treated Inara was very unpleasant for me and learning what was done to Inara and other orc women made me want to see Zoia and the entire Wolf Regiment dead. Zoia, Darkfang and that cursed wolfguard, who chose to take Inara as the prisoner in the first place, must be slaughtered and butchered in the most painful and ruthless way possible. Honestly, Zoia and her repugnant dogs are far more hateable and sadistic than Duke Redfist himself. Volarian was at least a pleasant individual once and there's at least some understandable reason for him acting the way he does. Sure, Redfist will kill the Orcs and their allies in a fanatical way, but it is far less evil and psychologically cruel than turning Orcs into gladiators and forcing them to kill each other. Van Durce was and will always be right about Zoia, her thoughts and actions are evil, and if it weren't for Inara, Zoia should have been killed the moment Van Durce arrived. No matter how arrogant and pompous Van Durce and his Golden Guard are, they are undeniably far more noble than Zoia and the Wolf Regiment. And the rest of the Regiments for that matter.
Aveen Elvir: Why does Elvir act so cold towards Blen, even though he had done nothing wrong to her? Is it because Blen was not born into nobility, unlike her? If that's the case, then Aveen is very petty, elitist, snobbish, vain and not as intelligent as she thinks she is. Perhaps her hostility to Blen comes from knowing about Selior's insecurities in regards to him (since Elvir and Selior seem to get along), yet she should be smart enough to know that Blen holds no ill will to Selior, considers him his friend and never wanted to overshadow him in any way, not to mention that Blen is not even aware of Selior's true thoughts. Moreover, she knows about the strained relationship between Gardon and Van Durce, yet she told him in her letter that Van Durce cares for Gardon more than he lets on. Why could not she have done the same in regards to Greymoore and try to tell Selior that Blen considers him his equal and would not want him to feel bad in any way. If Aveen knew how Selior felt about Blen, she could have done something to help Selior overcome his negative feelings and allow him to trust Blen, but she didn't. This makes her a bad friend for Selior. Perhaps she uses Selior and his insecurities as an excuse to hate Blen? I can see that being the case, that's for sure. Also, she was not shown to care at all when Blen was sentenced to imprisonment and execution, meaning that she is completely fine with Greymoore being killed. Speaking of Van Durce, I enjoyed when he reprimanded the generals for their incompetence and inadequacy. Aveen more than deserved those words and I would be delighted to see her be taken down a peg or two. Or thousand. I hope she dies, preferably at the hands of Lokar the Crusher, a much cooler character and a better person than her. A horrible and stuck-up arsehole, Aveen, along with Zoia, is the worst and most unpleasant of all Imperial Regiment generals and leaders. Even more so than Lord Genethas, Duke Redfist and Tarm Luthram.
Kenos Harran: He and his forces participated in an attempt to exterminate the Darkmind Clan and may have been the one to burn the former Ironthunder Clan chieftain alive. Because of this, as well as due to being a human, Kenos deserves to die, either at the hands of Lokar the Crusher or Flammedus, showing superiority of Centaur humility and kindness over Imperial arrogance and xenophobia. He also did not express anything in regards to Blen being imprisoned and about to be executed, making him yet another general who does not like Greymoore. To his credit, Kenos does have few redeeming moments: in the interlude Rising Tensions when Greymoore and the others arrived at Cleavehand's camp, he did suggest to let them rest and said that they must be tired after their long journey, while in the Pride of the Empire he wanted to spare Vanessa's life and told her to leave the battle. Like Elvir, Harran is more silent and reclusive of the Imperial Generals and may not exactly be a people person, yet he has more sense of common decency than Aveen. If one were to ask Elvir for something, she would brush the person off, but Harran would be willing to help. I am not on Kenos' side and he is still among the four Imperial Regiments generals that I don't like, but he is slightly more redeemable than Zoia and Elvir, both who make Sir Edoarus the Executioner, who is one of Aridon's the darkest servants and more hateful than even Rahandir Drakeskull, and the entirety of Scarec Nexus look more welcoming and affable.
Dorbric Berangar: Like with Kenos Harran, Dorbric is more likeable and sympathetic than Zoia and Elvir, and I do feel quite sad for the cute, old bull after he lost Fergon, Ramerius and Selior. However, he and his regiment did partake in an attempt to wipe out the Darkmind Clan, thus I side against him. That being said, I do not necessarily want Dorbric to die. He still has to be defeated, preferably by Brockta to showcase his strength, but he can simply be bested in combat and then leave Salria in peace. I do not like Dorbric, but I can be slightly less harsh on him than I am with some other humans. In regards to Blen, Dorbric was his teacher, yet he did not react at all during the moment when Van Durce announced Blen's imprisonment and impeding execution. Yes, Dorbric was shaken by the loss of Fergon, Ramerius and Selior, and he did think that his teachings led Blen to prison, but he did not stand up for Blen against Van Durce when the former was to be taken prisoner and also did not show any resentment in regards to Van Durce, Golden Guard and the Empire for unfairly sentencing Blen, his own student, to death. Dorbric could have gone berserk and attempt to attack Van Durce after hearing that Blen will be punished, only to be intimated by the tall, gold and arrogant High Lord into submission, perhaps even being dominated in combat by the High Inquisitor. Only Gardon, Harmos and possibly Merlon (if his lines of dialogue in the Second Human Book are taken into the account) were true, actual allies to Blen and the ones to vouch for him, but no one else did. Neither Elvir, nor Kenos Harran, not even his own mentor. Aedale did not attempt to protect him from Van Durce. If Fergon was alive, he may not have stepped up in Blen's defense, even though there was no animosity between the two and the same goes for Ramerius. Ramerius may have complimented Blen after the battles against the Orcs (though I think Ramerius' praise to Greymoore was backhanded and not truly sincere), but due to his connections with Van Durce and Golden Guard, Ramerius might not have spoken in favor of Blen. So yes, Blen was almost all by himself, alone and without anyone truly being on his side.
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Yeah, your anti-human bias is hard to miss. 
I just hope you don't expect me to change the story because of it cuz I won't.
I think you are putting too much emphasis on that one scene. Van Durce was the representative of the Emperor at that moment, speaking up against him would have been speaking up against the Emperor himself and the only person who could dare to do that the way you expect them all to without being court marshalled was the one who actually said something: Gardon.
You could argue that Dorbric wouldn't be rational enough for this thinking but he hardly noticed what was happening around him at that moment.
I just hope you don't expect me to change the story because of it cuz I won't.
I think you are putting too much emphasis on that one scene. Van Durce was the representative of the Emperor at that moment, speaking up against him would have been speaking up against the Emperor himself and the only person who could dare to do that the way you expect them all to without being court marshalled was the one who actually said something: Gardon.
You could argue that Dorbric wouldn't be rational enough for this thinking but he hardly noticed what was happening around him at that moment.
Deleted member 304046
D
Deleted member 304046
Well, everyone's time has to come. First, the Orcs were disliked by some players due to their pillaging and raiding ways, though opinions on them improved since the Second Orc Book. Then came the Undead, who, while generally well-liked, were sometimes criticized for being too perfect, too powerful and controlling everything behind the scenes. And now the Humans have to face with some harshness.Yeah, your anti-human bias is hard to miss.
I just hope you don't expect me to change the story because of it cuz I won't.
I think you are putting too much emphasis on that one scene. Van Durce was the representative of the Emperor at that moment, speaking up against him would have been speaking up against the Emperor himself and the only person who could dare to do that the way you expect them all to without being court marshalled was the one who actually said something: Gardon.
You could argue that Dorbric wouldn't be rational enough for this thinking but he hardly noticed what was happening around him at that moment.
In all seriousness, I do not expect or demand that you change the story. It's your creation and story, so you can do what you want with it.
Fair point in regards to speaking up against Van Durce, though I think that even if the other generals would be able to vouch for Blen without getting court marshaled and punished, none of them (save maybe for Dorbric) would chose to do it.
Might have to agree with your point about Dorbric.
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True that. While I may not agree with some of your points or others' points, it's our personal bias that comes from personal preference, real life experience, etc, etc... that makes discussions interesting.
Like, I really enjoy simping for Gardon, and Merlon to a certain extent. However, if a whole lot of people suddenly agree with me and turn this place into something like Arkain Horniposting, that won't be funny anymore. Individualism is based, while group thinking is a bitch.
As for Aveen and Kenos (and also Tarm Luthran with his gang of Draenei wannabe), I'm going to play the devil's advocate and say that their characters are not fully fleshed out, due to lack of screentime. Them being distant towards Blen can be because of his upbringing, so he doesn't feel comfortable open up to anyone else but Selior. Since Blen doesn't communicate with them much, they don't feel like risking their neck for someone they barely know.
Also, I have a question of my own. Did Cheveran the Black really commit all of the atrocious crimes claimed by Lisara, or she just made all of them up in his mind to manipulate him?
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Trust me, if that one goes overboard, I am stopping it.
Neither his deeds nor confession were fake.
Deleted member 304046
D
Deleted member 304046
I have decided to write and post a mini-essay/article about a certain orcish character that I really like, enjoy and want to see more in the future.
Inara the Darkmind Assassin:
Vicious and vengeful, Inara is undeniably one of my favorite Arkain characters and, in my opinion, the most badass and hardcore female fighter in the series. While there are other tough women, such as Amari, Okri, Ebira and Lisara, Inara has a certain "edge" that the other characters don't have, at least to me. I honestly find her to be more dangerous and lethal than the Destroyer. Sure, the Destroyer might be physically stronger, but Inara has a far more brutal and relentless personality. I really want her to stay alive and get her justice on Zoia and the Wolf Regiment, while transitioning from a hard-hearted killer into an anti-hero/anti-villain type of character. Still very ruthless, but far more mentally and emotionally stable. I am not sure if I see her as a fitting leader for the Darkmind Clan and I think she would work better as a loner and an independent warrior, a part of Dominion, but not affiliated with any Orc clan or Dominion group. I am curious to know how exactly she would feel about Vanessa, Amari and their desire to co-exist peacefully with the Humans. Given what happened to her, Inara might, understandably, hate them for it and that's quite an interesting aspect because so far, the characters who opposed Vanessa and Amari were narrow-minded traditionalist male orcs, yet Inara is different. She is a female orc and she hates the Humans not due to outdated traditions or short-sightedness, but due to a very painful personal experience, where she was an innocent victim of their intense cruelty towards her and her fellow female orcs. Before the True Story had reached the events of Second Books, my guess was that Inara would appear in the Burning Homes mission, leaving the Orc Islands alongside Oneeye, with whom she would have become battle partners. It would have been an interesting parallel because she first appeared when the Darkmind Clan homes were burned by the Regiments, against whom she was helpless, yet in her first appearance as a playable hero (third appearance overall) she would find herself in similar situation (though on a much larger scale and with a different faction), but this time she would be able to fight back. I also have a thing for pairing her with serious and level-headed men (Lokar the Crusher, Oneeye and Blen). It's something akin to pairing deadly female anti-hero like Elektra or Catwoman (Tim Burton's version in particular) with a traditional male hero like Daredevil and Batman (the same goes for Madame Viper and Captain America in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes animated series).
Speaking of pairing Inara with other characters, a fan fiction type idea of mine for Arkain is a grim and gritty "bad girl" genre comic book where she and Lisara would be the co-protagonists, best friends and battle partners, while Zoia (the arch-enemy of Inara) and Ebira (the arch-enemy of Lisara) would serve as the main antagonists. One notable scene would involve Inara and Lisara attacking the Wolf Regiment forces, who were attempting to kill Logan the Skirmisher. After killing Wolf Regiment warriors, Inara would throw a healing potion to Logan, who would be confused as to why she would ally herself with a demon, while Lisara would approach Logan and simply kiss him. Inara and Lisara would then leave the scene, while Logan, now completely safe, would be left perplexed about both of them. Later on, Logan would serve as the supporting character, distrusting Lisara due to her being a demon, a part of the race that killed his family, though Lisara would not attempt to do anything bad to Logan. It should be noted that this comic would take place in a different continuity than the Arkain Books or the True Story and one thing that would be different is that Lisara would not have needed Aedale to break free from her imprisonment.
Inara the Darkmind Assassin:
Vicious and vengeful, Inara is undeniably one of my favorite Arkain characters and, in my opinion, the most badass and hardcore female fighter in the series. While there are other tough women, such as Amari, Okri, Ebira and Lisara, Inara has a certain "edge" that the other characters don't have, at least to me. I honestly find her to be more dangerous and lethal than the Destroyer. Sure, the Destroyer might be physically stronger, but Inara has a far more brutal and relentless personality. I really want her to stay alive and get her justice on Zoia and the Wolf Regiment, while transitioning from a hard-hearted killer into an anti-hero/anti-villain type of character. Still very ruthless, but far more mentally and emotionally stable. I am not sure if I see her as a fitting leader for the Darkmind Clan and I think she would work better as a loner and an independent warrior, a part of Dominion, but not affiliated with any Orc clan or Dominion group. I am curious to know how exactly she would feel about Vanessa, Amari and their desire to co-exist peacefully with the Humans. Given what happened to her, Inara might, understandably, hate them for it and that's quite an interesting aspect because so far, the characters who opposed Vanessa and Amari were narrow-minded traditionalist male orcs, yet Inara is different. She is a female orc and she hates the Humans not due to outdated traditions or short-sightedness, but due to a very painful personal experience, where she was an innocent victim of their intense cruelty towards her and her fellow female orcs. Before the True Story had reached the events of Second Books, my guess was that Inara would appear in the Burning Homes mission, leaving the Orc Islands alongside Oneeye, with whom she would have become battle partners. It would have been an interesting parallel because she first appeared when the Darkmind Clan homes were burned by the Regiments, against whom she was helpless, yet in her first appearance as a playable hero (third appearance overall) she would find herself in similar situation (though on a much larger scale and with a different faction), but this time she would be able to fight back. I also have a thing for pairing her with serious and level-headed men (Lokar the Crusher, Oneeye and Blen). It's something akin to pairing deadly female anti-hero like Elektra or Catwoman (Tim Burton's version in particular) with a traditional male hero like Daredevil and Batman (the same goes for Madame Viper and Captain America in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes animated series).
Speaking of pairing Inara with other characters, a fan fiction type idea of mine for Arkain is a grim and gritty "bad girl" genre comic book where she and Lisara would be the co-protagonists, best friends and battle partners, while Zoia (the arch-enemy of Inara) and Ebira (the arch-enemy of Lisara) would serve as the main antagonists. One notable scene would involve Inara and Lisara attacking the Wolf Regiment forces, who were attempting to kill Logan the Skirmisher. After killing Wolf Regiment warriors, Inara would throw a healing potion to Logan, who would be confused as to why she would ally herself with a demon, while Lisara would approach Logan and simply kiss him. Inara and Lisara would then leave the scene, while Logan, now completely safe, would be left perplexed about both of them. Later on, Logan would serve as the supporting character, distrusting Lisara due to her being a demon, a part of the race that killed his family, though Lisara would not attempt to do anything bad to Logan. It should be noted that this comic would take place in a different continuity than the Arkain Books or the True Story and one thing that would be different is that Lisara would not have needed Aedale to break free from her imprisonment.
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Gotta be soulmate with that one xD. Yeah, the certain characters we either love or hate depends on our real-life experiences. Me, in particular, doesn't like many orc and human characters cuz they represent how their corruption actually festers in our society in reality, and sadly all of em are reality. I would say people of my country are quite similar to Orcs with darkness of Humans, especially Ironfist, and pride of Golden Guard. The political arena is likable to Demons, particularly Souleater Legion, while bulk of citizens are Undead (therefore, spiritually dead). Yet this is real human country and ofc less dark than that of Arkain.
Our favorite race of WC3 also tells a lot about our being, I just theorized. Mine is Undead, and the reason why I love undead is fear and powerlessness towards death; and the best compensation of avoiding death would be at least become undead. If there are many deaths, especially at childhood, then it will also affect (actually my case) along with mortality rate (yeah mortality rate is high in many Asian and developing countries). Also, there is element of Christianity in Undead though the resurrection is imperfect and more worldly (focusing on wearied garments of flesh and bones -Clinkz is one-liner btw) tho I wonder what if Aridon was sired by God of Life instead of death; mbe he could be one that is angelic and gives pure resurrection as written in Bible. I also got the hunch that Dead Mountain was inspired by Dyatlov Pass due to the horrific incident happened there and folk tales talking nobody survives there.
At the same, I oddly sympathize with Lisara. If she was human in real world, I imagine her to be a neglected girl who was born in dictatorial country (analogous to Demon Lands) and had to see her family killed during civil war (her backstory being analogous to one written in Characters Sheet) and had to become femme fatale the spy to make a name for herself. Ornasion would be a general with low-class background and constantly harassed by his much influential peers... Well, my fancies are really keeping me aloft, don't they? xD Lisara is understandable, she has to become evil to survive in her society; I would say Demons would actually have been Angels before Zindrach died.
And yeah Arkain rlly has some of the best dilfs and husbandos
Our favorite race of WC3 also tells a lot about our being, I just theorized. Mine is Undead, and the reason why I love undead is fear and powerlessness towards death; and the best compensation of avoiding death would be at least become undead. If there are many deaths, especially at childhood, then it will also affect (actually my case) along with mortality rate (yeah mortality rate is high in many Asian and developing countries). Also, there is element of Christianity in Undead though the resurrection is imperfect and more worldly (focusing on wearied garments of flesh and bones -Clinkz is one-liner btw) tho I wonder what if Aridon was sired by God of Life instead of death; mbe he could be one that is angelic and gives pure resurrection as written in Bible. I also got the hunch that Dead Mountain was inspired by Dyatlov Pass due to the horrific incident happened there and folk tales talking nobody survives there.
At the same, I oddly sympathize with Lisara. If she was human in real world, I imagine her to be a neglected girl who was born in dictatorial country (analogous to Demon Lands) and had to see her family killed during civil war (her backstory being analogous to one written in Characters Sheet) and had to become femme fatale the spy to make a name for herself. Ornasion would be a general with low-class background and constantly harassed by his much influential peers... Well, my fancies are really keeping me aloft, don't they? xD Lisara is understandable, she has to become evil to survive in her society; I would say Demons would actually have been Angels before Zindrach died.
And yeah Arkain rlly has some of the best dilfs and husbandos
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In the map of bloodbath... (True Story of Arkain)
Is story or game changing, if the player can destroy the orc clan bases on the two entrances to the bear regiment? Is going to be any fate or serious game changing events can occur if the player Saves the Bear Regiment from the total annihilation on this map? Even thoug the Bear Regiment is an enemy, and their units are can be strong against the demonic foe, there is any reason to rush to save them on this map?
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Deleted member 304046
D
Deleted member 304046
Decided to make a list of Arkain characters who, at least in my opinion, would get along well, be friends, battle partners and, in few of these cases, a romantic pair.
-Inara and Lisara (Best friends, battle partners and possibly lovers, though Lisara and Ornasion make a great pair as well).
-Inara and Lokar the Crusher (Partners and perhaps a romantic pair)
-Inara and Oneeye (Battle partners)
-Ishzog and Brockta the Stomper (Great friends and intellectual/spiritual equals)
-Ishzog and the Destroyer (A calmer, more genteel and philosophical orc being grouped alongside a more warlike and aggressive Orc would make for a nice and interesting duo)
-Ishzog and Brak Stormteacher
-Lokar the Crusher and Grofzag (Either as good friends or Lokar serving as a type of mentor and advisor to younger Grofzag)
-Grella the Bonesplitter and Pechan the Mechanic (Based on their interactions in the Second Orc Book)
-Brockta the Stomper and Mordin Hammerfall
-Zairmak and Flammedus
-Grofzag and Sir Praxeus "The Holy Bastion" Braelon
-Vanessa and Cora Redfist
-Lord Margazar and Urshan
-Lord Margazar and Haran'tel-kazor
-Haran'tel-kazor and Urshan
-Sir Edoarus the Executioner and Duke Redfist
-Vermon and Largoth
-Inara and Lisara (Best friends, battle partners and possibly lovers, though Lisara and Ornasion make a great pair as well).
-Inara and Lokar the Crusher (Partners and perhaps a romantic pair)
-Inara and Oneeye (Battle partners)
-Ishzog and Brockta the Stomper (Great friends and intellectual/spiritual equals)
-Ishzog and the Destroyer (A calmer, more genteel and philosophical orc being grouped alongside a more warlike and aggressive Orc would make for a nice and interesting duo)
-Ishzog and Brak Stormteacher
-Lokar the Crusher and Grofzag (Either as good friends or Lokar serving as a type of mentor and advisor to younger Grofzag)
-Grella the Bonesplitter and Pechan the Mechanic (Based on their interactions in the Second Orc Book)
-Brockta the Stomper and Mordin Hammerfall
-Zairmak and Flammedus
-Grofzag and Sir Praxeus "The Holy Bastion" Braelon
-Vanessa and Cora Redfist
-Lord Margazar and Urshan
-Lord Margazar and Haran'tel-kazor
-Haran'tel-kazor and Urshan
-Sir Edoarus the Executioner and Duke Redfist
-Vermon and Largoth
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Sasrogarn and Aedale (a romantic pair)
Deleted member 304046
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Deleted member 304046
An interesting idea!
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I've just finished the original version of Rebellion (the one map that has a veeeeery long canyon with a bunch of grey Pyrru guards on the high ground) on hard difficulty and without passing no upkeep, and I think I've hit a record with the number of enemy units killed, as I can't remember a single other map where I went over 3000.
It's safe to say that Cora's Orb of Darkness was absolutely carrying me here, which is why my units produced number is so damn high too.
I was barely even using Blizzard, because I just didn't want to loose out on the huge skelly armies. But that's just what happens when you basically fill up an entire map with an armada of weak hostile units. The Whispers in the Dark boni fits this map so perfectly, that I honestly can't even imagine using a different one (though a necro-hydromancer spam with Academical Knowledge sounds like a valid strategy too, if you're fine with waiting for mana).
It's safe to say that Cora's Orb of Darkness was absolutely carrying me here, which is why my units produced number is so damn high too.
I was barely even using Blizzard, because I just didn't want to loose out on the huge skelly armies. But that's just what happens when you basically fill up an entire map with an armada of weak hostile units. The Whispers in the Dark boni fits this map so perfectly, that I honestly can't even imagine using a different one (though a necro-hydromancer spam with Academical Knowledge sounds like a valid strategy too, if you're fine with waiting for mana).
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My Tier list for the Tribal Dominion Units
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This brings back memory of SOB, of how I tried to used Sappers against Redfist, only to realize that Suicide's damage is mitigated by armor. And I'm surprised that that you put Shieldbearer in A tier, given how those guys are literally unkillable.
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where is raiders and outrunners?
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This is the final army were you play the Chapter: Red DAY. I did not add the Dark mind
They are Unkillable sure. But their Damage output is lack luster compared to Ogres
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Curious to know how many days it will take me to draw the whole new Dominion.
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Looking forward to see your version of the Tribal Dominion.
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I've just discovered this program called Replica Studio that allows the generation of A.I generated voice lines, so I've played with it a bit and generated a few dialogue lines in the chapter End of an Uprising. I'm going to post them all down below as I think that they may prove useful if the quality is tweaked a bit.
Edit: Inserted the correct 2nd voice line.
1. Royan: Bloodclaw! Your days of evil are over! Lay down your weapons and I shall deliver you to the High Lord unharmed.
2. Gardon: What? YOU are siding with Retka?! On behalf of van Durce?! You filthy traitor scum! I will destroy you, your army and your lord and drown this entire continent in your blood!
3a. Royan: As you wish, I will make your death quick.
3b. Royan: Coast Battalion! Forsake this man! He has been revealed as a traitor to the Empire! In the name of the Emperor I command you to fight him!
4. Cora: Belay that order! You and van Durce are fools, Royan! If you decide to stand against the one who could save the Kingdoms, the Coast Battalion no longer stands with you and your high lord!
5a. Royan: This is high treason, Cora. Bloodclaw has corrupted you just like his influence has poisoned the mind of your sister! Very well then.
5b. Royan: Men! Bloodclaw's death shall be quick. But these traitors... Make them suffer.
6. Cora: The only one who has been corrupted is you - by your arrogance! The Coast Battalion shall not fall to the likes of you!
2. Gardon: What? YOU are siding with Retka?! On behalf of van Durce?! You filthy traitor scum! I will destroy you, your army and your lord and drown this entire continent in your blood!
3a. Royan: As you wish, I will make your death quick.
3b. Royan: Coast Battalion! Forsake this man! He has been revealed as a traitor to the Empire! In the name of the Emperor I command you to fight him!
4. Cora: Belay that order! You and van Durce are fools, Royan! If you decide to stand against the one who could save the Kingdoms, the Coast Battalion no longer stands with you and your high lord!
5a. Royan: This is high treason, Cora. Bloodclaw has corrupted you just like his influence has poisoned the mind of your sister! Very well then.
5b. Royan: Men! Bloodclaw's death shall be quick. But these traitors... Make them suffer.
6. Cora: The only one who has been corrupted is you - by your arrogance! The Coast Battalion shall not fall to the likes of you!
Edit: Inserted the correct 2nd voice line.
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It may need some polishing, but sounds good. The Second voice line is the same as the first line. Playback then and replace if you have the file.
Deleted member 304046
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Deleted member 304046
Wanted to make a post related to Arkain faction that I am interested in seeing and learning more about and the one that hasn't been talked about in comparison to Tribal Dominion, Ironfist and the Imperial Regiments.
Moghtar – The Scoundrels of Red Skin:
The infamous Moghtar first appeared in the First Orc Book, during the missions Imperial and Monster (this chapter was removed in the True Story, most likely due to not having enough plot relavance) and Rise of the Deathbreeze (renamed into Rise of the Clans in the True Story, with Moghtar themselves being removed), while the Second Books portrayed them in a more sinister and ominous way (Krogar and his followers at least) and revealed that they are underlings of the Dark One. In the True Story they haven't appeared so far, nor have been referenced. It's kind of creepy and unintentionally makes them more mysterious, though their unexplained connection with the Orcs and the question why they hate one another was already teased in the Second Orc Book chapter "The Legion". I thought that Moghtar might have something to do with what happened to Orcs' original continent, forcing them to leave, though I am not sure how much this theory is plausible and Shar did say that the reasons why Orcs had to leave Grumush (the name for their home continent) is not on the agenda for the True Story. Still, I do get the impression that something's fishy going on with whatever happened to Orcs' former continent, but whether Moghtar were somehow involved is uncertain (on that note, I briefly wanted them to be the ones behind the mysterious plague in Rengar, yet I don't know what could be a valid explanation for that). I am also curious about what will happen to them in the True Story. If the Official Arkain Timeline is anything to go by (though it is somewhat outdated), the Undead destroy all Moghtar marauders within Salria, but if that's the case, are the Moghtar completely wiped out for good and no longer exist as a race or are there more groups of Moghtar beyond the ones we have seen in Salria. What happens to Krogar the Conqueror after Aedale kills her father and Lisara takes complete control over her? Does he leave and get killed by the Undead or the Orcs afterwards (I am assuming that in the True Story, after the chapter the Red Day, the Orcs finally defeat the Bonelords, but perhaps Moghtar could make one more appearance as one of the final bosses)? Will the Moghtar play a role in the future, after the end of Second Void War?
There are some other things I was wondering about Moghtar, but I think they might be answered in the True Story:
-Is Krogar the Conqueror the sole leader of the Moghtar, an equivalent to the Warchief or do the Moghtar lack a singular ruler?
-Do all Moghtar actually serve the Dark One (or are even aware of his existence for that matter) or it is just Krogar and his followers? If it's the former, how much free will do they have? Are they completely bound to the Dark One's will or can they have their own independent goals and agenda?
-Not counting the End of Orckind chapter, would the Moghtar (without Aedale's and Lisara's presence) stand any chance against the Redfist or would they be decimated if faced with the crimson armored fanatics?
-Who do the Orcs hate the most: Moghtar, Humans or Demons?
-This is more a question for fans to discuss if they want to, but who would make a better arch-enemy for Orcs/Tribal Dominion? Moghtar or the Redfist? Or perhaps both, but in different ways?
I also had a few unit ideas for Moghtar:
Rippersaw: A violent and muscular Moghtar killer wielding a chainsaw.
Spikewrecker: A large and rotound Moghtar thug possesing a spiked wrecking ball.
Pugilist: A hand-to-hand Moghtar warrior relying only on his fists, could be upgraded to wield bladed brass knuckles.
Houndleasher: A supporting unit who is able to unleash bloodthirsty and aggresive Dobermans on his enemies. Dobermans are extremely fast, are almost impossible to avoid and have extremely high damage and attack speed.
Cerberi: Vicious three-headed dogs who are Moghtar's favoured pets. Capable of killing the Ogres, Redfist soldiers and perhaps the Dreadlords quickly and with ease.
Schorcher: A Moghtar with a metal lower face mask and a backpack flamethrower, allowing him to burn his foes alive. Along with Rippersaw, Schorcher serves as one of the more technogically advanced Moghtar murderers.
Meatteeth: A cannibalistic Mogthar armed with two butcher knifes. Has the standard Cannibalize abillity, but also can bite the flesh of his living foes. Can also learn to flay his enemies alive, excluding Heroes (flayed enemy units will be permanently marked by red tint and will have decreased damage, attack speed, movement and armor).
One idea that I had, thought it borders on fanfiction territory and What-If type of scenario, is that Mogthar, assuming they still play a role after the Second Void War, could form their own alliance of races. A "Dark Dominion" if you will. Consisting of the Forest Trolls, who would serve as warlike counterparts to the Dark Trolls, Sludge Monsters, underground creatures/Kobolds, Gerazzar Order, possibly Living Nerubians and Dark Elven Renegades led by Quiraness, as well as some new races.
Moghtar – The Scoundrels of Red Skin:
The infamous Moghtar first appeared in the First Orc Book, during the missions Imperial and Monster (this chapter was removed in the True Story, most likely due to not having enough plot relavance) and Rise of the Deathbreeze (renamed into Rise of the Clans in the True Story, with Moghtar themselves being removed), while the Second Books portrayed them in a more sinister and ominous way (Krogar and his followers at least) and revealed that they are underlings of the Dark One. In the True Story they haven't appeared so far, nor have been referenced. It's kind of creepy and unintentionally makes them more mysterious, though their unexplained connection with the Orcs and the question why they hate one another was already teased in the Second Orc Book chapter "The Legion". I thought that Moghtar might have something to do with what happened to Orcs' original continent, forcing them to leave, though I am not sure how much this theory is plausible and Shar did say that the reasons why Orcs had to leave Grumush (the name for their home continent) is not on the agenda for the True Story. Still, I do get the impression that something's fishy going on with whatever happened to Orcs' former continent, but whether Moghtar were somehow involved is uncertain (on that note, I briefly wanted them to be the ones behind the mysterious plague in Rengar, yet I don't know what could be a valid explanation for that). I am also curious about what will happen to them in the True Story. If the Official Arkain Timeline is anything to go by (though it is somewhat outdated), the Undead destroy all Moghtar marauders within Salria, but if that's the case, are the Moghtar completely wiped out for good and no longer exist as a race or are there more groups of Moghtar beyond the ones we have seen in Salria. What happens to Krogar the Conqueror after Aedale kills her father and Lisara takes complete control over her? Does he leave and get killed by the Undead or the Orcs afterwards (I am assuming that in the True Story, after the chapter the Red Day, the Orcs finally defeat the Bonelords, but perhaps Moghtar could make one more appearance as one of the final bosses)? Will the Moghtar play a role in the future, after the end of Second Void War?
There are some other things I was wondering about Moghtar, but I think they might be answered in the True Story:
-Is Krogar the Conqueror the sole leader of the Moghtar, an equivalent to the Warchief or do the Moghtar lack a singular ruler?
-Do all Moghtar actually serve the Dark One (or are even aware of his existence for that matter) or it is just Krogar and his followers? If it's the former, how much free will do they have? Are they completely bound to the Dark One's will or can they have their own independent goals and agenda?
-Not counting the End of Orckind chapter, would the Moghtar (without Aedale's and Lisara's presence) stand any chance against the Redfist or would they be decimated if faced with the crimson armored fanatics?
-Who do the Orcs hate the most: Moghtar, Humans or Demons?
-This is more a question for fans to discuss if they want to, but who would make a better arch-enemy for Orcs/Tribal Dominion? Moghtar or the Redfist? Or perhaps both, but in different ways?
I also had a few unit ideas for Moghtar:
Rippersaw: A violent and muscular Moghtar killer wielding a chainsaw.
Spikewrecker: A large and rotound Moghtar thug possesing a spiked wrecking ball.
Pugilist: A hand-to-hand Moghtar warrior relying only on his fists, could be upgraded to wield bladed brass knuckles.
Houndleasher: A supporting unit who is able to unleash bloodthirsty and aggresive Dobermans on his enemies. Dobermans are extremely fast, are almost impossible to avoid and have extremely high damage and attack speed.
Cerberi: Vicious three-headed dogs who are Moghtar's favoured pets. Capable of killing the Ogres, Redfist soldiers and perhaps the Dreadlords quickly and with ease.
Schorcher: A Moghtar with a metal lower face mask and a backpack flamethrower, allowing him to burn his foes alive. Along with Rippersaw, Schorcher serves as one of the more technogically advanced Moghtar murderers.
Meatteeth: A cannibalistic Mogthar armed with two butcher knifes. Has the standard Cannibalize abillity, but also can bite the flesh of his living foes. Can also learn to flay his enemies alive, excluding Heroes (flayed enemy units will be permanently marked by red tint and will have decreased damage, attack speed, movement and armor).
One idea that I had, thought it borders on fanfiction territory and What-If type of scenario, is that Mogthar, assuming they still play a role after the Second Void War, could form their own alliance of races. A "Dark Dominion" if you will. Consisting of the Forest Trolls, who would serve as warlike counterparts to the Dark Trolls, Sludge Monsters, underground creatures/Kobolds, Gerazzar Order, possibly Living Nerubians and Dark Elven Renegades led by Quiraness, as well as some new races.
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Personally, the moghtar are more the enemies of the orcs, but not of the entire Tribal Dominion. Redfist on the other hand wants to annihilate the orcs and all those who are aligned with them, directly or indirectly (Poor citizens who did business with the centaurs).
If in the true story we see moghtar reacting hostilely to orc allies, that would change things a bit.
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Honestly, the Moghtar are probably not arch-enemy material for anyone. Considering we haven't seen or heard of them throughout the entire True Story, I think it's safe to say they only live in the Salrian mountains (at least in Arkain, maybe there are more somewhere else). They seem to have even fewer numbers than the orcs before the invasion and maybe even less than the centaurs (since the Salrians don't appear to be locked in a war with them, it's safe to assume they don't know of their existence)
In regards to what they are, we've seen cave orcs with differently colored skin because of their environment, so maybe that's the same. (Though the only environment that would seem fitting for the Moghtar's skin color would be the demonic lands and that seems unlikely since the Demon legions don't make use of them)
One thing I wonder is, if the orcs keep their ancestral hatred for the Moghtar in the True Story, how did they perpetuate the hatred ? In the books, Moghtars could be seen in various caves and even on the orc islands so of course the orcs knew of them. But if they only live in Salria, considering Salria is the only kingdom the orcs never managed to raid, it's unlikely most orcs have ever seen a Moghtar or know of their existence.
Perhaps the only one to recognise them will be Zairmak. It might be an opportunity to learn more about both him and the Moghtar.
In regards to what they are, we've seen cave orcs with differently colored skin because of their environment, so maybe that's the same. (Though the only environment that would seem fitting for the Moghtar's skin color would be the demonic lands and that seems unlikely since the Demon legions don't make use of them)
One thing I wonder is, if the orcs keep their ancestral hatred for the Moghtar in the True Story, how did they perpetuate the hatred ? In the books, Moghtars could be seen in various caves and even on the orc islands so of course the orcs knew of them. But if they only live in Salria, considering Salria is the only kingdom the orcs never managed to raid, it's unlikely most orcs have ever seen a Moghtar or know of their existence.
Perhaps the only one to recognise them will be Zairmak. It might be an opportunity to learn more about both him and the Moghtar.
Deleted member 304046
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Deleted member 304046
A fair point. One could also include Ogres and Red Dragons (perhaps Sand Dragons as well) as the arch-foes for Moghtar, but not the rest of Dominion races, which the Moghtar might not even care about. It could be said that the Redfist and the Bonelords are more imminent and pressing threats to the Dominion, while Moghtar are just peculiar group of secondary villains (like the Forgotten, especially in the Arkain Books due to them coming from another world and serving an unidentified, though minor Master, while the True Story establishes them as servants of Largoth)
And yes, those citizens who did business with the centaurs met a sad and undeserved fate.
Perhaps. The Moghtar don't seem to be at war with Salrians or any other humans, as well as dwarves, only the Orcs and the Ogres. The Humans and Dwarves themselves don't talk about Moghtar. Though Duke Redfist does know of their existence and intended to hunt them down, they seem to be lower on his priority list than the Orcs and the rest of Dominion. While Aridon also considers Moghtar to be a filth, he does not seem to be focused on them as he is on the Orcs. There is also the fact that they haven't been referenced or alluded to in any of the short stories, including Drums in the South. They might just be a local group of barbarians and thugs relegated to their own corner in Salria, only involved in conflicts against Ogres and Orcs (in the Arkain books at least).
As for Zairmak, the Second Orc Book does suggest that he seems to know about them. Maybe Moghtar have some relation with the Ravaging Fire Clan. That clan did seem to be in decline before Zairmak became their chieftain. Perhaps Moghtar are somewhat of an offshoot of Ravaging Fire Clan, a splinter faction of sorts, but I really don't have any valid ideas regarding their origins.
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I initially never used charge, because I thought the increased received damage was awful. However, in Lord of Shadows, I found it quite useful for hit-and-run tactics. It gets buildings down faster and units retreat faster with it on, which is useful when you are trying to do as much damage before a main army comes to defend. It's also useful in situations where you have a big number advantage, you can actually take less damage than without using Charge.
I never understood people's obsession with using Elites. They are strong, but at 7-food they are very pop-ineffective, so the only ones worth using are the free-food ones (which are very precious). Cavalry is miles better in Lord of Shadows. Faster moving, more damage per pop, more tankiness per pop, still tanky enough to perma-heal with banishers. Elites are a noob-trap.
I've read in this thread that End of an Uprising got much easier than in the SHB, that's disappointing.
I had some fun making a table to compare units between the three factions we control, to see what's better and which faction should do which part of the army, even though as soon as we get Destructors, I think they should be the cornerstone of our offensive capabilities.
I don't think Bloodfangs are worth using a leadership bonus for, the DpS is not much better than Cavalry, while they tank much worse. Brian's bonus is also questionable, because most units that benefit from it are not that good. Marksmen with the bonus are better than the basic Crossbowman and Bowman, but clearly worse than the boosted versions with the leadership bonuses. Fighters are better than the useless Defenders, but standard Zealots are almost competitive with boosted Fighters and Frenzy Zealots are leagues better in raw DpS (impressively so really). Dark Warrior is good, but not that good. In general I prefer 4-food melee units because it's much easier to keep them alive, but the frenzied Zealots make a case for themselves. Brian's bonus affects spellcasters, but spellcaster don't do much damage anyway. However, the Darksteel Golem is already better than generic War Golems, Brian's bonus make it even better.
For the ranged units, the Ironforged is in my opinion the best, with its high range, good damage output and "arrow spells", elven heritage and dark warrior (Marksmen don't even have that over them). But if getting already Dark Secrets to boost Zealots, Crossbowmen have very competitive DpS.
Among 4-food melee units, the Executor has by far the best damage output when fighting against units, due to Cleaving. The royal army knight is overshadowed by the Ironfist cavalry, Dark Warrior plus regeneration aura is much better than 15HP or 1 armor. With consistent healing from spellcasters, I think I'd prefer the Executor, but there is a case to be made for the Cavalry. The Sergeant and the Overseer are both specialized "aura" units, which makes having one or two of them around great even if they are underwhelming otherwise for their food cost. Unfortunately, we can't train Sergeants in this mission, so only the starting one is available. Why can't we have Sergeants too @Shar Dundred ? Don't tell us only 4 spots in the Barracks.
The Eagle Lancers are great at destroying enemy air units, but otherwise pretty useless, which makes them not useful in my opinion. The Pegasus is more well-rounded, but we don't need air cheese early on, and Destructors are better suited later on.
I didn't make a table for spellcasters, because they can't be as easily compared that way, except for the War Priest of the Coastal Battalion and chaplains from the Royal Army. Since they are the same, the better one depends on the chosen leadership bonus. Because we have Overseers for regeneration aura, and Banishers are my favorite healer (they also obsolete Stormbringers in my opinion) I would only sprinkle a few "standard healers" in, and get Larine's Ironforged. The hydromancers from Cora are very good, both of their auto-cast spells are hugely effective. Haste is better when using fewer stronger units over something like Zealot spam, so something like Ironforged + Executors + Hydromancers + Banishers + an Overseer or two + fillers for the remaining food in each faction would be my choice. But many different compositions can be justified, and as the mission got easier than in the SHB even a very unoptimized composition should work fine.
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Once upon a time the royal army had exclusive access to the dreaded creature known as Hydromancer...That royal army could probably kill the entire demon race themselves. Once upon a time they also had access to a really really broken version of Greywolf unit... The trash tier 1 footmen were also kinda good with a passive ability that shar made sure to remove rather quick. So yeah before Shar decided to hit them with the nerf hammer they were in pretty decent shape.
Lore wise it makes sense for the royal army to be the weakest of the factions, they are the remnants of what is left of the kingdoms fighting forces.
A majority of their warriors dying in the fall of the first two kingdoms Lor and Isalmur.
I do kinda enjoy playing with them though their archer units were really good up until Shar introduced ironforged, then they got completely outshined.
The red orcs have gone through one or two phases throughout Arkains history... The first one was that they were just Orcs but with Red skin as opposed to Green, and this factor made them seclude themselves from the other orc population. They occupied a small role as the antagonists during Ranguls unification of the clans, However with the new version of Arkain (the true story) they are all but absent. My hunch would be that they just like the cave orcs are a branch of Orcs that got separated from the main tree of orcs that eventually fell under the influence of the Demons that would explain the reddish skin they posses and the fact that they are shown to be in alignment with Largoth, alternatively they could be just a bunch of Kidnapped orcs that Largoth corrupted and turned into his personal army just like Brian managed to turn the orcs into his personal army by putting Amari on charge of them.
In this new iteration the Moghtar seem more of a small subfaction of Orcs that went their own way rather than a large clan that opposes the remaining large Clans.
Edit: I have a hunch that the chapter where we recruit the Ogres and the red + bronze dragons will shed light as to what role this new iteration of Moghtar orcs will fulfil.
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Wait, you mean...I actually need to micro my units to get the maximum effectiveness out of their abilities? Impossible.
Jokes aside, I guess I'm used to the 'Attack-Move everyone in my way' playstyle so I never see things your way. Think I'll do another run of Lord of Shadows one day.
Shame that Defenders got shafted so much. They have the opportunity to have a Tier-1 infantry that's usable in late game (like Scarec's Shieldguards) but instead they're just Footmen with extra stats. With the buffs to the Bull's Charger, Defender now feel even lamer.
Deleted member 304046
D
Deleted member 304046
So, when VastanX created a drawing for Rath Wolfscar and posted in Fanmade of Arkain thread, I compared the Darkmind Wolfrider with Batman's incarnation from the Dark Knight Returns graphic novel, called him Rathman and said that if he were to survive and join the Dominion, the Goblins could build a Rathmobile for him. Well, I haven't forgotten that comparison and I decided to make a character recast picture, based on the animated adaptation of the said graphic novel. I hope this isn't bothersome and annoying. Just wanted to have some fun.
The Darkmind Returns
Characters:
Rath Wolfscar/Rathman as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Zairmak as Alfred Pennyworth
Vanessa as Carrie Kelley/Robin
Rangul as Commissioner James Gordon
Okri as Ellen Yindel
Krogar the Conqueror as the Mutant Leader
Galareth the Great as the Joker (In this instance Galareth might not be the Undead creature with fused minds of a human and an Ogre, but a living, yet deranged Ogre villain)
Blen Greymoore as Clark Kent/Superman
Orgen Bloodstone as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow
Lady Meya as President Ronald Reagan (I did not know which male Human character could be a fitting replacement for Ronald Reagan and I did not want the Humans take the role of a leader, so I simply chose Lady Meya, not to mention that Reagan does look rather zombie-like, thus an Undead character would be suitable recast)
Sister Pentiss as Selina Kyle (Inara would be a great recast for Selina Kyle/Catwoman, but more for Tim Burton's version)
Sir Lerrig as Dr. Bartholomew Wolper
Kenos Harran as Harvey Dent/Two-Face (Perhaps Aedale would be a better recast for Harvey Dent/Two-Face, though his bandaged face made think of Kenos Harran, so I chose the Phoenix General)
The Demons would be the recast for the Soviet Union
Notes:
-I took most of the Arkain characters pictures by downloading them from Arkain Alignment Chart thread. For Krogar, I used BTNHeroFelOrcGeneral Icon by General Frank.
-Recast meme/template was taken from here: https://www.deviantart.com/batboy101/art/RECAST-MEME-LONG-PNG-776856327
The Darkmind Returns
Characters:
Rath Wolfscar/Rathman as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Zairmak as Alfred Pennyworth
Vanessa as Carrie Kelley/Robin
Rangul as Commissioner James Gordon
Okri as Ellen Yindel
Krogar the Conqueror as the Mutant Leader
Galareth the Great as the Joker (In this instance Galareth might not be the Undead creature with fused minds of a human and an Ogre, but a living, yet deranged Ogre villain)
Blen Greymoore as Clark Kent/Superman
Orgen Bloodstone as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow
Lady Meya as President Ronald Reagan (I did not know which male Human character could be a fitting replacement for Ronald Reagan and I did not want the Humans take the role of a leader, so I simply chose Lady Meya, not to mention that Reagan does look rather zombie-like, thus an Undead character would be suitable recast)
Sister Pentiss as Selina Kyle (Inara would be a great recast for Selina Kyle/Catwoman, but more for Tim Burton's version)
Sir Lerrig as Dr. Bartholomew Wolper
Kenos Harran as Harvey Dent/Two-Face (Perhaps Aedale would be a better recast for Harvey Dent/Two-Face, though his bandaged face made think of Kenos Harran, so I chose the Phoenix General)
The Demons would be the recast for the Soviet Union
Notes:
-I took most of the Arkain characters pictures by downloading them from Arkain Alignment Chart thread. For Krogar, I used BTNHeroFelOrcGeneral Icon by General Frank.
-Recast meme/template was taken from here: https://www.deviantart.com/batboy101/art/RECAST-MEME-LONG-PNG-776856327
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My review of "Council in the Mountain" short story
"...I hereby officially demand that you cease your attacks on my people."
Mordin better watch out, or the Nexus might start questioning even more his loyalty and devotion to Aridon.
A massive armor, too heavy for most living to wear, possessed by the ghost of a dead paladin. She had willingly surrendered her life to the master to serve the cause of the living dead.
Has this character showed up already? Because I don't recall her.
"The matter is closed. The nexus will not enforce the demands of the Rohir Nexus upon the Ejara Nexus. If the Rohir Nexus wishes to take any action, it must do so on its own. This topic will not be brought up again unless a formal complaint is brought to these halls by the leader of the Rohir Nexus herself. We shall now move onto the next topic." the Splecir negotiator declared – and the next points were brought forward and discussions began anew.
The Undeads' way of acting is, ironically, the most modern according to our standards. They have representatives, they can deliver cases to the council, they vote...
It had been enlightening to see some Undead politics and she would be back if needed, but it was time to get some sleep. After all, unless most others on this mountain, she was not dead just yet.
Is this Cora?
Mordin better watch out, or the Nexus might start questioning even more his loyalty and devotion to Aridon.
A massive armor, too heavy for most living to wear, possessed by the ghost of a dead paladin. She had willingly surrendered her life to the master to serve the cause of the living dead.
Has this character showed up already? Because I don't recall her.
"The matter is closed. The nexus will not enforce the demands of the Rohir Nexus upon the Ejara Nexus. If the Rohir Nexus wishes to take any action, it must do so on its own. This topic will not be brought up again unless a formal complaint is brought to these halls by the leader of the Rohir Nexus herself. We shall now move onto the next topic." the Splecir negotiator declared – and the next points were brought forward and discussions began anew.
The Undeads' way of acting is, ironically, the most modern according to our standards. They have representatives, they can deliver cases to the council, they vote...
It had been enlightening to see some Undead politics and she would be back if needed, but it was time to get some sleep. After all, unless most others on this mountain, she was not dead just yet.
Is this Cora?
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- Dec 20, 2015
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Yoooooo, I can't believe Shar confirmed Night Elves in the latest short story (don't ban me please).
On a more serious note, I do like the post 2nd Void War stories but they admittedly make me a little uneasy about what sort of closure there will be from the True Story. NOT uneasy like I don't trust Shar to end the playable campaign or anything; more like a little bit of longing for a definitive end that cannot exist if it keeps getting fleshed out past the campaign. Does that make any sense?
On a more serious note, I do like the post 2nd Void War stories but they admittedly make me a little uneasy about what sort of closure there will be from the True Story. NOT uneasy like I don't trust Shar to end the playable campaign or anything; more like a little bit of longing for a definitive end that cannot exist if it keeps getting fleshed out past the campaign. Does that make any sense?
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- Apr 10, 2022
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Just finish the new short story.
-I can't blame the others for questioning Mordin's loyalty. I'm really afraid that something happen to him, not the best moment to say how you feel my undead dwarf friend.
-So the nexus send representatives and not their leaders to discuss their issues. I like it, and surely Mordin suits for representative. The most mind-settlet undead I think.
-Between the Ejara or the Scarec, I prefer the formers. At least I'll remain alive until they dispose of me.
-I wonder who is this representative of the Splecir nexus. She was a paladin, I suppose she's a kind of death knight now.
-And finally.
.
Hope we can learn who are the leaders of each nexus in the future.
-I can't blame the others for questioning Mordin's loyalty. I'm really afraid that something happen to him, not the best moment to say how you feel my undead dwarf friend.
-So the nexus send representatives and not their leaders to discuss their issues. I like it, and surely Mordin suits for representative. The most mind-settlet undead I think.
-Between the Ejara or the Scarec, I prefer the formers. At least I'll remain alive until they dispose of me.
-I wonder who is this representative of the Splecir nexus. She was a paladin, I suppose she's a kind of death knight now.
-And finally.
No doubts - She's Cora. All of the dialogues are according to her behavior and thoughts. Wonder what new knowledge she's learning
Hope we can learn who are the leaders of each nexus in the future.
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- Nov 25, 2021
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- 507
It depends on what Aridon's stance on this is.
Right now, I feel like that Aridon, being an immortal god, finds it hard to comprehend individualism, like how the Orcs were so hard to be manipulated gave him a headache, and how the Cave Orcs were useful, but were wiped out because it didn't fit his plan, instead of changing his plan. But by the end of LoA, I feel like he'll learn that being independent can makes the Undead work with more creativity and efficiency, so he'll be more tolerant of such actions.
I hope that Aridon'll turn out this way, instead of being a permanent boomer.
Wears heavy armor, and willingly gives her life to Aridon. Perhaps a very strong, but disillusioned woman from the Golden Guard or Gezarrin Order. Haven't heard of anyone that matches the description.
Can also be someone from the Lenira Nexus, or perhaps even Loraine if Rahandir spares her, which he may.
I'm guessing that since the campaign's name is Legends of Arkain, it'll reach its end when the wars and battles that will decide Arkain's fate also end.
The tales/stories of other characters after the war will probably be made into smaller arcs called Chronicles of Arkain or something like that, with the spy from Espionage writing his observations or something similar.
And if we're lucky, another war will break out, so we can have LoA True Story 2, now featuring playable Night Elves.
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- Aug 1, 2022
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This story happened in the Postwar, right? Where Aridon disappeared to meditate about his life choices?
Cause I've read the latest story about the Undead and their?... Squabbling.
Cause I've read the latest story about the Undead and their?... Squabbling.
Hosted Project: LoA
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The day Night Elves come to Arkain is the day all of your favorite characters die.
What do you expect from the end of the True Story of Arkain? What do you (both you, Jay, in particular, as well as everyone else reading this) expect how the campaign will end?
I think the answer to that question, the exact expectations you have, is very much relevant here.
I think it makes sense and I think I understand what you mean - however, it poses a vital question I would say:
What do you expect from the end of the True Story of Arkain? What do you (both you, Jay, in particular, as well as everyone else reading this) expect how the campaign will end?
I think the answer to that question, the exact expectations you have, is very much relevant here.
Yes, exactly.
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I noticed you have a distaste for anything that is Night Elves. Why is it so Shar Dundred? I always wondered why Night Elves aren't apart of your world though.
Deleted member 304046
D
Deleted member 304046
Regarding the end of the True Story, I think that it will be mostly the same as the Arkain Books, barring few differences here and there.
-The human storyline will follow Gardon's path, with him killing Van Durce and defeating the Golden Guard, stopping the Demon Invasion, launching the attack on Gates on Hell, his plans being sabotaged by the Undead, and him becoming the ruler of New Zyainor. Everything that happened in the Second Human Book will occur in the True Story. The only difference I can think of is that the Orcs/Tribal Dominion may not appear in Van Durce vs Genethas chapter, Zarin, Horgar Whitebeard and Praxeus vs Kobolds mission, and in the battle for the Purifactor. Maybe there will be a showdown between Aedale and Zelech and/or between Aedale and Orie, but that's about what I can think of.
-For the Undead, I don't think that anyone, besides the Bonelords, will perish by the end of the True Story. Ornassion, rather than Lord Brian the Fallen, might be the one to finish off Kersidar, but I doubt it. I assume that Kersidar will fall, but at the hands of Brian. Honestly, the Undead might be a bit of the weak link in the True Story and they would not achieve anything notable throughout the course of the story. Ironfist win against the Demons, ending their invasion, and establish the New Zyainor, as well as having the Elves as their vassals; the Orcs conquer Salria, form the Tribal Dominion and destroy the Bonelords, who were among the strongest of Aridon's servants, but the Undead won't get their "slice" that the Dominion and the Ironfist did. I do not mean to sound negative, critical or pessimistic, I just cannot think of anything for the Undead. While the True Story is great, I think that the Arkain Books (especially the Second Undead Book, if it wasn't shortened, though I understand why it was the case) and anything from 552 E. F./20 Z.R. and onwards is much better place for the Undead to shine to the fullest and do something really interesting.
-Now the Orcs/Tribal Dominion. Following the Red Day chapter, there will be missions that focus on the Undead and the Humans, but after that there will be chapters about the Tribal Dominion fighting against the Bonelords and defeating them for good, forcing Aridon to question his purpose and go into seclusion. It would be a nice bookend for the True Story, as it started with the two Orc chapters and it would end with the two Orc/Dominion chapters, followed by the final interlude for the Orcs and the Epilogue focused on the Undead and Largoth (the prologue was with the Undead user interface, so it would make sense for the epilogue to do the same). Maybe the final scene will feature Largoth talking with an Imperial adjutant (as it was the case in the Golden Guard ending of Second Human Book) or perhaps some brief tease of Vermon and the Mindslayer Legion.
My expectation is that each of the three races get separate Epilogues focused on them after their respective final missions. After the Gates of Hell chapter there is a Human Epilogue. After the final Orc/Dominion chapter there will be the Epilogue dedicated to them. The final chapter for the Undead will occur between the last missions for Humans and the Orcs, but the Undead Epilogue will happen after the Orc Epilogue (two cinematics in the row) and it will be the Epilogue for the entire True Story.
Another expectation that I have is that the final scenes of the True Story could tease new characters and faction, showing either the faction from the Espionage short story and/or Vermon and the Mindslayer Legion as mysterious, shadowy individuals, or perhaps some new, never before seen threat.
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We have not seen a woman paladin yet(maybe lack of model). Unless the golden guard female captains are paladin.
Either Cora or Salana, renova´s twins would be too young to be there. Probably Cora since Salana is heavily wounded.
That would be really cool.
I just wanna see how the story unfolds, how many changes and things happens during the true story, how the characters develop and how the factions grew bigger or just dissapear. The final? Well, when you like something and it keeps improving further and further you don´t want to finish right?
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- Jul 31, 2019
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Just read the story: Tho there is no betrayal in Undead as of yet, Mordin might very well defy the order and possibly warn his kin about what is to come. Yet it's possible Aridon also would've foreseen this and approved his action as his order could be either to destroy Dwarves or drive them away after he finishes his little teatime. Splecir spectre could be Golden Guard female commander, mbe one in the Dish Best Served Cold who was scolded for not protecting Blen in prison. If she survived the showdown, then it's possible she was approached by Undead... wait, this could mean Undead could very well pay visit to Blen's resting place... Enough fancies, some golden soldiers could be considered paladins. And (forgot her name) that commander could possibly seek Aridon after she failed defending her comrades in search of purpose (if she survived, ofc).
The one at the last part is 100% Cora, and tho she is not dead yet... it's only matter of time until she joins undead hearth. It would be interesting if she coughs meets fallen Stephanie (if Aridon decides to revive her ofc) and would know what was Volarian like from her stepmother. While I find scenario of Redfist sisters meeting their half-sister Vanessa interesting, it is with their stepmother they could have interesting bond.
Undead, like Humans and Orcs, will indeed have major casualties. Aside from Bonelords, after reading Arkain Timeline of Salria invasion, major leaders will be buried in avalanche and therefore rendered effectively "dead". My hunch tells me they will be Haran, Tremalon and Galareth.
The one at the last part is 100% Cora, and tho she is not dead yet... it's only matter of time until she joins undead hearth. It would be interesting if she coughs meets fallen Stephanie (if Aridon decides to revive her ofc) and would know what was Volarian like from her stepmother. While I find scenario of Redfist sisters meeting their half-sister Vanessa interesting, it is with their stepmother they could have interesting bond.
Undead, like Humans and Orcs, will indeed have major casualties. Aside from Bonelords, after reading Arkain Timeline of Salria invasion, major leaders will be buried in avalanche and therefore rendered effectively "dead". My hunch tells me they will be Haran, Tremalon and Galareth.
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- Aug 1, 2022
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I would like to place topic up. Since Kezzar Nexus exist and its army is made up of Undead Demons. Since there's a undead Dreadlord(AKA Ornasion) and then Undead DoomGuard (Urshan Ornasion's new Lieutenant) wouldn't that mean Ornasion has corpses for PitLords aswell. I mean undead slayed alot of Pitlords and always wanted to see an Undead Pitlord though. If only Hiveworkshop has one. What you guys think Undead Pitlord with in the Undead Ranks?
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- Jul 31, 2019
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Certain that there will be fallen pitlords. As far as I can recall, there was skeletal pitlord model in hive (1st saw this in Ascension campaign dungeon mission; now possibly dead) so totally possible. Wonder how fallen nether drakes would look like; could be more spectral like Splecir apparition. Also new demon unit, Marilith, has been introduced; so there could be fallen Marilith (Shivarra model). As far as I know, there r undead models for felhounds so they will be in for sure.
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- Aug 1, 2022
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Undead Demons that are possible with in the Ranks of the Kezzar Nexus:
Crypt units:
Undead Fell hounds or Stalkers
DeathGuard
IceKeepers (LifeSteal Aura)
Mariliths
Slaughter House Units:
MeatWagons
Obsidian Statues
Maybe a Possible Demon Exclusive Abomination (Curtacy from the Ardoz Nexus)
Undead Elite Twin Blade DemonLord (Maybe a possible weaker Command Aura or a Critical Strike Ability)
Boneyard:
Possible Spirit Drakes (That might be either Kezzar Nexus' Air Brutes or Spell Casters: Maybe retain their Cripple abilities or Dispel)
Temple of the Damned:
Undead Succubi (Prediction Spell Pool: Curse, Silence, Lesser Shadow Strike, Lesser Life Drain, or Lesser Charm)
DeathLords (If Shar Dundred even allow us to use them again)
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- Jul 31, 2019
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agree with most but imo:
Crypt:
Fallen Felhound
Deathguard
Icekeeper
Fallen Marilith
Slaughterhouse:
Undead Infernal Contraption (meat wagon replaced with its demonic counterpart)
Fallen Eredar Warrior
Frost Infernal (replacing abominations)
Boneyard:
Fallen Nether Drake
Temple of the Damned:
Fallen Succubus (Mbe curse, life drain, and lesser charm as spells)
Fallen Eredar Warlock (replacing obsidian statues and with somewhat same function)
Deathlord (somewhere in two years ago, I listened to Shar and Jay's commentary and Shar confirmed they will be trainable tho he could've changed his mind)
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- Aug 1, 2022
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What ever the case for the Tech Tree. Im really looking for to play the Chapter where we will finally kill Lord Hesthration that asshole of a Dread Lord General.
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